Blind
by PhaedraSolaris
Summary: After her clan of medical ninja was attacked, Karumi Hanakawa was left blind. Miraculously, she managed to make her way to the Hidden Leaf where she was put under the care of the Uchiha clan. But after growing close to a certain Uchiha prodigy, her new life may not be as peaceful as she originally thought. ItachixOC
1. Part I: Chapter 1

All Karumi could see was the orange blaze of fire as her brother carried her in his arms away from the village, his white hair a mess of sweat and dirt. She could see the other ninja now tailing them, quickly catching up, and gripped her brother's shoulder.

"Sousuke? They're getting closer." Her voice was quiet and shaky as her brother cursed and sped up. Neither of them could understand why their village was being attacked. Her family were the only ninja living there amongst the civilians, and even then they were only a clan of medics.

A sharp kunai hit Sousuke in the back, sending him forward to the ground. Karumi wriggled out of his grasp, kneeling beside him and shaking his shoulder. She could tell he was still alive, but he was growing weaker by the second.

"There they are!" One of the ninja tailing them shouted, making Karumi look up in panic.

Her brother gripped her hand, pulling her closer before whispering the word, "Run!"

The little girl took off, weaving desperately through the trees as they continued to chase her. She came to a stop in front the edge of a cliff and began looking around for a way down. The bushes rustled behind her and Karumi turned around, watching as three of the ninja began to close in on her.

"What? She's just a kid!" One of them said, looking to his comrade.

"It doesn't matter. Our orders are to eliminate them all." The other replied, crouching low and weaving some hand signs.

Karumi wasn't sure what hit her, but she fell backwards, eventually landing in the river below with a loud splash. She floated down stream, flailing in panic as she struggled to see beyond the pitch black darkness that clouded her vision.

After what seemed like hours of struggling Karumi made it to the riverbank, coughing and spluttering as she blinked rapidly. "I can't see," she said to herself, her eyes welling with tears as she lifted her head. She pushed herself up, stumbling forwards and catching herself on a tree.

Her elbows and knees stung. She'd probably grazed them. Karumi winced as she touched her leg, her eyes stinging as a sea of red invaded her sight. She gasped, quickly pulling her hand away. Karumi had been told about her clan's inheritable eyes, but she didn't think she'd be able to use it at her age. She'd always been told that she was too young.

Keeping her hand pressed against the trunks of the trees, Karumi made her way through the forest, tripping on roots and slipping on mud. Finally she reached a road, but left her hands outstretched in front of herself.

Karumi didn't know how long she'd been walking before she collapsed to her knees, clutching her stomach in hunger and doubling over in exhaustion. The waves of panic had long since subsided and her body had filled with adrenaline, but even that was dying now.

"Hey, look!" Karumi's eyelids grew heavy in relief when she heard the voice. Maybe she'd finally reached another village. "Are you okay?" The same voice sounded again.

"Should we take her to the Hokage?" Another voice asked.

"Maybe we should get her to the hospital first," the first one said, before Karumi felt herself being lifted up.

"Water..." she managed, touching the side of the person's face. The colour flooded back into her vision again and she smiled. Though slightly off-putting, Karumi found comfort in the fact that she could see the skull and surrounding tissue of the man carrying her. She was used to seeing the anatomical drawings that hung in her parents' study, so the bulging brown eyes that sat in their sockets didn't terrify her like they would any other four-year-old. She was happy enough to be able to see the man's eye colour.

Something that felt like a water canteen touched her lips and Karumi sipped it gratefully, coughing a little as the water touched her parched throat.

The air suddenly cooled and Karumi flinched. She could hear the sound of heels clicking on hard floor as a feminine voice spoke. "Is there an emergency?"

"Yes," the man holding her said. "This little girl collapsed in front of the village gates."

"What's your name?" The woman who Karumi assumed was a nurse asked.

"Karumi," the girl answered weakly, jumping in surprise when a cold hand touched her wrist. Her ears began to ring as a wave of dizziness overcame her, and Karumi stopped trying to listen to the nurse. Her hand slipped off the man's face and her vision grew dark again. She knew she'd been using her chakra to see into the man's body, and her stamina was depleting quickly because of it.

Karumi felt herself being laid on a bed, the sound of groaning patients around her filling her ears. Her eyelids grew heavy again as she felt the stinging jab of an IV in her arm, and her entire body grew numb.

A few streets away at the Hokage building, Minato Namikaze looked out over the village from his office window. Things were beginning to make sense, but he still couldn't figure out why it had happened. The little girl was still in an induced coma in the hospital, and while he'd recognised the image of a lotus on the back of her clothes, the open scroll on his desk had confirmed that she was indeed from the Hanakawa clan; a large family of medical ninja residing in a small village in the Land of Fire.

The scroll told of a massacre from the Land of Fire's enemies due to the belief that such a strong group of medics would allow the Hidden Leaf Village to not suffer as many casualties as other nations.

Minato's head dropped and he gripped the ledge he was leaning on. In actuality, the Hanakawa clan were humanitarians, helping anyone who passed through their village.

A knock sounded at his door and Minato looked up, watching as his wife and her friend Mikoto Uchiha entered the room, both their stomachs swollen and pregnant. "What's the meaning of this, Minato?" Kushina, his wife, asked angrily. "You know Mikoto has time off from missions!"

The Fourth Hokage smiled and shook his head. "It's not a mission," he said, and his wife calmed down almost instantly. "It's more of a favour."

The two women frowned at each other. "Is it about the little girl in hospital?" Mikoto asked, touching her stomach lightly.

Minato nodded. "As far as we know, she's the sole survivor of the Hanakawa clan's massacre, but I don't want to have her sent to an orphanage." He looked across the room at Mikoto. "If it's not too much, could the Uchiha clan take her in?"

The black-haired woman smiled softly. "I'm sure Fugaku wouldn't mind, but I'll have to check with him."

The Hokage nodded gratefully. "Thank you," he said, smiling as the two women left. He dropped his head again and sat down at his desk, re-reading the scroll. The Hanakawa clan started training their members while they were still young, but Minato couldn't be sure how much the girl knew until she woke up.

He rested his head in his hands, cursing himself for letting something like this happen in the Land of Fire. At the very least, the clan's sole survivor was now in the Hidden Leaf's custody, meaning that if anything bad happened, she could be protected.


	2. Part I: Chapter 2

When Karumi opened her eyes, she panicked. That jutsu still hadn't worn off. All she could see was darkness. The steady beeping of a heart monitor was sounding from her left, while she could still feel the dull sting of the IV in her arm. It was likely that she was still in the hospital.

"Are you awake?" A gruff, masculine voice spoke suddenly, making Karumi jump and turn her head to face where she thought she'd heard the noise.

"Shh! Fugaku!" A feminine voice said. "Don't scare her. She's probably still in shock from what happened."

"She's been sleeping for three days. She should be over it by now." Fugaku grumbled, but said nothing more as his wife waddled forward and sat in the chair by the side of the girl's bed.

"Your name's Karumi, right?" Mikoto asked, growing slightly unnerved by the girl's blank stare as she nodded slowly. "My name's Mikoto Uchiha. I've been asked to let you stay with my family once you're out of hospital. Would you like that?"

Again, Karumi nodded, her eyes unmoving as the pregnant woman leaned forward. Mikoto frowned and raised her hand to slowly wave in the girl's face. Karumi didn't even blink.

"Karumi," the woman said slowly, setting her hand back in her lap. "Can you see?" The girl's bottom lip began to tremble as she dropped her head, her white hair falling in her face, and let out a sob as she shook her head.

Mikoto looked at her husband in uncertainty and watched as he stepped forward and spoke lowly. "I've heard of certain jutsu that can block the senses. She may have been hit by one during her attack."

"Are they reversible?" Mikoto asked, and Fugaku shook his head.

"Only by the ninja who cast it - or inhuman amounts of chakra."

Karumi listened quietly to the man's words, her small hands scrunching the white cotton sheets around her waist. A light knock at the hospital room's door broke the silence, and made Karumi lift her head. The sound of the door sliding open filled the room and a soft voice spoke.

"I'm finished with my training. The others said you'd be here." Itachi gently closed the door behinds himself, his dark eyes focused on the girl in the hospital bed. He took a few steps forward to stand next to his father. "Who is she?" he asked quietly.

"This is Karumi," Mikoto said, smiling at her son. "She'll be staying with us for a while."

"We're putting her in your room until we can get a spare one sorted out," his father told him.

Itachi wanted to object, but he'd heard about the girl from others in the village, and he knew that she had nowhere else to go. Besides, the penetrating glare his father was shooting him meant that the boy couldn't say 'no'. He nodded silently instead.

"Come say 'hello'," his mother said, beckoning him forward. Itachi complied, eyeing the girl as her blank eyes stared back.

Karumi reached out, making Itachi lean back away from her touch, but Mikoto's approving nod urged him forward, letting the girl place her small hand against his cheek. Itachi's face tingled and he frowned, staring as the girl smiled tiredly.

"You have pretty eyes," she mumbled, her eyelids drooping as her hand slid off his face and she flopped back against the pillows, unconscious.

Mikoto glanced at her husband. "What was that?" she asked.

Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "The Kekkei Genkai of the Hanakawa clan," he murmured. "While adding chakra, they can see into the bodies of others. It becomes crucial in their ways of medical ninjutsu."

"The poor thing," Mikoto said. "She probably used a lot of energy to try and see Itachi."

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed. "Couldn't she see me before?" He asked. "I thought the Hyuuga clan had quite extraordinary visual talents."

His parents looked at each other. "No," Mikoto said, her gentle smile faltering. "She's not a Hyuuga. Her eyes are white like that because she can't see."

Fugaku sighed. "If I'd known we were taking in an invalid, I would have reconsidered." His wife shot him a dirty look.

"Don't you dare," she snapped. "This child has no where else to go." She took a deep breath after holding the glare for a few seconds and rested her hand on her stomach. Silence filled the room as the atmosphere grew tense. Finally, Mikoto spoke again. "We should head home for now. It's getting late."

The others nodded and Itachi took his mother's hand to help her stand, glancing back at the sleeping girl as they left her hospital room. Her long white hair framed her face in soft waves, and her daunting white eyes were now closed peacefully. Itachi turned away as the door was closed behind him, a deep frown etching his features.

He didn't want to share his room.

A few days later, Karumi was allowed to leave the hospital, with the exception that she didn't try to use her chakra for trivial things such as seeing other people's faces. She didn't mind, though. Her days spent sitting by herself in her hospital bed had allowed her time to think, and she'd come to accept the pitch blackness that clouded her vision - she'd even learnt how to walk around her room by touching the walls and furniture.

Outside was a different story. Karumi clutched Mikoto's hand anxiously as they walked through the streets of the Hidden Leaf, making sure to keep close to the woman's side.

"We're almost there," Mikoto assured her. "There's a step here." Karumi stuck her foot out in uncertainty and gently raked her toes along the stony step, gauging how steep it was, before climbing it herself.

They walked a little longer, the sound of smooth stone clacking with every step Karumi took. She stopped when the woman beside her did.

"Take your shoes off here, and then there's a few more steps," Mikoto said softly, watching as the little girl did as she said, then began feeling for the first step with her bare foot. Despite being heavily pregnant, the woman gently lifted Karumi onto the wooden veranda that surrounded the traditional house.

Karumi paused and nodded in thanks before placing her hand gently on the exterior wall and following it around the side of the large building. Her feet dragged along the polished wood as she tried to get used to where things were, her hand now trailing along the smooth texture of a door.

She slid the door open, calmly wandering inside, wary of any furniture that might be placed around the room. As she walked, her foot pressed against something soft; a cushion. Moving slowly, Karumi crouched down to kneel on the cushion, reaching her hands out to feel the small table in front of her.

"What are you doing?"

The sudden voice startled her, and she turned her head to face where she now knew the door was. Itachi stood in the doorway, watching the girl as she shuffled awkwardly in an attempt to face him. Her angle was off by a few degrees.

He took a few steps forward, holding his hand out to her to help her stand and frowning when he remembered that she couldn't see. Itachi reached forward to touch her hand, pulling back immediately as she flinched.

"Sorry," Karumi murmured quietly, holding her hand out for him again. Itachi held it hesitantly as she stood up, turning his head away when she gripped it firmly.

"Lunch is ready," was all he said before proceeding to lead her out of the room and back onto the veranda.

Karumi struggled to memorise the route they were taking; right, left, left again, right, before stopping abruptly, making her bump into Itachi's shoulder. The sound of a door sliding open entered Karumi's ears, and she smelled the distinct aroma of freshly made rice balls and various toppings.

Itachi dropped her hand and moved to sit at the table, leaving Karumi to wait uncomfortably in the entranceway. She swallowed heavily and began to slowly walk forward, jolting to a stop when a hand softly touched her shoulder.

"Come this way," Mikoto said, leading the girl around the table to her spot. "You can sit here." Karumi smiled thankfully and nodded as she sat, feeling for her plate and her cup. Mikoto shot a dirty look at her husband and son for not helping, and Itachi averted his eyes guiltily.

"So, Karumi," Fugaku spoke. "How old are you?"

"Four and a half," she said through a mouthful of rice and tuna - the first 'real' food she'd eaten in days.

"Oh, that's almost the same age as Itachi," Mikoto commented, making her son look up from his food. "Itachi, why don't you show Karumi around the village after you two finish eating?" she suggested.

Itachi eyed the girl across from him in hesitation before noticing the pressing stare his mother was giving him and nodding. Mikoto's expression softened and she smiled, watching Karumi as she ate. She and her family would try the girl as comfortable as they could. They would be her new family.


	3. Part I: Chapter 3

Karumi held tightly onto Itachi's hand as they walked. His palm was clammy, and even though he wanted desperately to wipe some of the sweat off on his t-shirt, he didn't dare let go of her hand. They'd been walking around for almost an hour, and Karumi had been desperately trying to memorise the whereabouts of each place they'd visited.

"There's a step here," Itachi said a little too late, struggling to catch the girl as she tripped and fell forward. The smell of sweets filled the air and Karumi lifted her head, using Itachi's shoulder to push herself up.

"Welcome!" A woman's voice sounded. "Oh Itachi! Who's your friend?"

"Karumi," he said quietly as he led her to one of the tables and helped her to sit down, before heading towards the counter. "Some green tea and a couple of slices of honey cake, please."

The woman who ran the shop leaned forward, whispering lowly. "Is she the little girl the Uchiha took in? The one whose family..." She trailed off, probably realising that it wasn't something a five-year-old would know about.

Itachi just nodded as he handed over the money, returning to the table to sit by Karumi's side.

"Where are we?" she asked, the smell of cake and sweets making her mouth water.

"It's one of my favourite sweet shops," Itachi told her. "You seemed tired. Sweet foods are good for things like that." Karumi smiled softly at his thoughtfulness and thanked him, closing her eyes and sighing contentedly.

"You like sweets?" she asked.

"Yes," was the only response he gave her, but that was enough.

Moments later the sound of plates being set onto the wooden table made Karumi open her eyes and slowly reach forward, feeling for where everything was.

Itachi surveyed the food with a frown and looked up at the owner. "We didn't order any dango," he said.

"It's on the house," she assured him with a dismissive wave of her hand. "For you and your little girlfriend." Her tone was teasing, but Karumi felt her face heat up. She'd only known the boy for a few days - definitely not long enough to be called his 'girlfriend'. Itachi didn't think anything of it, choosing to enjoy his free food instead.

The two children ate in silence, before Karumi spoke up. "Are we going home after this?" It felt odd to refer to the Uchiha household as 'home' when she'd only been there for a couple of hours, but that's what it was now that her real one had been destroyed.

"Not yet," Itachi said after a sip of tea. "I'll show you the academy first, then we can go back."

"The academy?" Karumi asked.

He nodded, then realised that such a gesture was pointless around her. "It's where children like us go to learn about ninjutsu before we become shinobi."

Karumi's face seemed to light up. "Can I go too?" she asked.

Itachi looked at her, unable to understand if she was serious or not. "Probably not," he said, watching as her smile fell. "You won't be able to see if anyone's attacking you, or who you have to fight. I don't think you should try to be a shinobi at all."

The girl pouted sadly, but nodded. He had a point after all. She wouldn't be able to learn things the same way that the other kids could, and there was always the possibility that she could hurt her comrades accidentally.

Someone entered the shop and Itachi looked up, recognising the man as someone from the Uchiha clan. "Itachi, you're here," the man said, somewhat relieved. "Your mother's been taken to the hospital."

"What? Why?" The boy said, standing up quickly.

"It looks like she's about to give birth."

Itachi pursed his lips and grabbed Karumi's hand, pulling her up from the table. "We'll go there now," he said, before dragging the little girl out of the shop. Their shoes tapped rhythmically against the hard dirt path as they ran and Karumi desperately tried to learn the way. They passed the ramen shop she'd smelled on the way to the sweets shop, then turned a corner and made their way to the bustling main road.

Karumi recognised the air-conditioned coolness and antiseptic scent as soon as they entered the hospital, and waited as Itachi approached the front desk to ask where his mother was. She stood still, flinching in surprise when Itachi grabbed her hand again and dragged her down the corridor.

The sound of Mikoto's loud yelling echoed through the hallway, and Itachi stopped. His father was sitting outside the hospital room, his fingers laced together anxiously and his face stoic and cold. Itachi dropped Karumi's hand as he approached his father. "Is mother alright?"

Fugaku nodded. "For now," he said. "The hospital's understaffed and undersupplied. There are too many casualties from the war. It's taking them longer than it should to do all the testing."

Karumi frowned and reached forward blindly until she felt the wall, before feeling her way to the door to Mikoto's room. She opened it, not catching the attention of Itachi and his father as she wondered in.

"Hey, what's that kid doing in here?" One of the doctors exclaimed as Karumi approached the bed. "Get her out of here."

"Wait!" Mikoto's voice sounded strained as she turned her attention to the small girl beside her. "Karumi, I know you're not supposed to be using your abilities, but it seems like the baby is having trouble coming out. If you could just check on him, it would make things so much easier."

Karumi's eyes widened a little and she nodded quickly, reaching out to place her hand on the woman's stomach. The image of a curled up child flashed in her mind, and Karumi tilted her head curiously. "He's fine," she murmured softly. "He's coming now."

"It's true, we can see the head!" One of the nurses said, sounding excited. Mikoto sighed in relief and gently patted Karumi on the head.

"Thank you," she said. "You can go wait outside now."

The girl nodded and found her way to the door. Her legs felt weak as she made her way back into the hallway, and she fell to the cold floor, slumping against the wall in exhaustion. The sound of footsteps approached her, stopping in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked, and Karumi nodded. He crouched down in front of her, studying her pale eyes. "Do you need help standing up?"

Again, Karumi nodded and held her hands out for Itachi to take. The boy pulled her to a standing position, holding her steady before guiding her to a chair to sit and wait with him and his father.

XXXXXXX

They'd been sitting in the corridor for hours before they were officially allowed to see Mikoto. Fugaku was the first through the door, while Itachi stayed to help Karumi. She could hear the baby crying as his father held him, but she decided to stay by Mikoto's side.

"What's his name?" she asked softly.

"Well, we decided a while ago to name him Sasuke," the woman replied tiredly. Karumi stiffened and she felt her heart speed up. The name sounded so much like her brother's name that tears sprang to her eyes, though she quickly wiped them away. "Karumi? Are you okay?" Mikoto asked, worry straining her voice. She paused, before calling to her son. "Itachi, take Karumi to get something to drink."

Itachi walked through the hospital with Karumi by his side, watching as she kept attempting to brush away her tears. He didn't bother to ask why she was crying - she probably wouldn't want to tell him anyway. So it came as a surprise when she began to talk.

"Back at my village, I had a big brother," she managed, sniffing loudly. "His name was Sousuke."

That was all she needed to tell him before Itachi understood. The names sounded similar to each other, and it made sense that hearing his new little brother's would trigger a reaction like that. He held her hand reassuringly as he bought her some juice, before taking her to a bench for her to sit down.

"Do you want to go back to the room or stay here?" he asked.

"Stay here," she mumbled into her drink.

Itachi nodded. "I'll head back, then. Don't move, okay?" As he walked off, he glanced over his shoulder at her, checking one last time that she was okay to sit by herself, before returning to his mother's hospital room.

"Is Karumi okay?" Mikoto asked, slowly rocking Sasuke back and forth to stop him from crying. "What happened to her?"

Her older son nodded as he stared at his new baby brother. "She has a brother with a similar name," he murmured, reaching his finger out and smiling a little as Sasuke wrapped his small hand around it.

"Had," his father corrected under his breath, but it went unheard over the baby's crying.

"That must have been a shock," his mother said, grinning as Sasuke stopped wailing. "If she's alright, I'd like her to come back in."

Itachi hurried out of the room and back down the corridor, eventually reaching the bench where he'd left Karumi, but she was gone. The young Uchiha looked around in panic, eventually spotting her head of long white hair as she slowly walked beside the wall.

"Karumi!" he called out to her as he approached, watching as she paused and turned her head to face the his voice. "Where are you going?"

She frowned and turned away, shrugging. "I was practising getting around without someone helping." She shuffled her feet and leaned her back against the wall.

"They want you back at the hospital room. Let's go." He took her hand in his, but Karumi quickly snatched it back.

"Just tell me where to go," she said quietly, and Itachi nodded, making Karumi sigh. "You're quiet," she stated. "But I can't see if you're nodding or shaking your head."

Itachi's eyes widened a little. "Sorry," he said quickly. Ever since she arrived, Karumi had seemed so shy. He'd never expected her to say something so bold like that. "Does this help?" he asked, taking her hand and placing her palm against the side of his neck, before nodding again.

Karumi narrowed her eyes and dropped her hand. "It helps," she said stubbornly as she began to slowly make her way forward. "It would still be easier if you just told me."

The young Uchiha couldn't help but smile as he walked slowly beside her, giving her directions every time they reached a new corridor until they were back at his mother's hospital room. Itachi opened the door and let Karumi through, letting her keep her hand grudgingly placed on his arm as they crossed the room.

"Karumi, darling, are you alright?" Mikoto asked, smiling as the little girl nodded before turning her attention to her older son. "Thank goodness you're back. Sasuke hasn't stopped crying since you left."

Itachi stepped forward and held his hand out for his little brother to grip his fingers again. He looked back at Karumi, who held her hand out also, smiling a little when Sasuke grabbed her fingers as well.

Fugaku placed a large hand on his son's shoulder. "We need to let your mother rest," he said. "We can come back tomorrow."

The boy nodded and cast one last curious glance down at his little brother, before following Karumi and his father out of the hospital room and back to their home.


	4. Part I: Chapter 4

Karumi gently swayed her hand back and forth, smiling softly as Sasuke's hands brushed her fingers. It had been a little over three months since the infant had been born, and Karumi spent most of her time looking after him while Mikoto was busy. Both Fugaku and Mikoto had gone out that afternoon, and neither of them had returned.

The door to Sasuke's room slid open and Karumi lifted her head. "Who is it?" she asked, letting go of Sasuke's hand and turning to face the door.

"Me," Itachi's voice sounded, and Karumi relaxed. "Something's going on outside the village. They've started sending people to the evacuation shelters."

Karumi tensed again, listening to Itachi's footsteps as he approached Sasuke's crib and gently lifted the infant out. "What about your parents?" she asked, placing her hand on Itachi's shoulder and following him outside.

"I'm going to wait for them," he said, sitting on the veranda and helping Karumi to sit beside him. They waited in silence, with Sasuke cooing softly every now and then, before a loud explosion sounded in the distance, startling the two of them. "I feel something ominous," he murmured. "What is it?"

Sasuke stirred in his arms and began to wail, and Karumi gently cupped her hand against the infant's head as Itachi tried to calm him down.

"Don't cry, Sasuke," he said softly, and Karumi lifted her head. "No matter what happens, your big brother will protect you."

"Maybe we should head to the evacuation shelters after all," Karumi said nervously, an odd chill running down her spine. Itachi nodded and helped her stand. "Or, at least, see if we can find your mother."

Itachi nodded again after Karumi cupped the side of his neck, before letting her hand settle on his shoulder, and the two of them began to walk. They began to hurry as they realised the sense of panic making it's way through the village.

Even without her vision, Karumi could hear the sounds of buildings collapsing and people screaming as they ran for cover. She gripped Itachi's shoulder tighter as they searched, stopping when they heard a voice call out to them.

"Itachi! Karumi! Thank goodness you're safe!" Mikoto's voice called out.

The ground seemed to shake as the building next to them began to topple over, and Itachi darted away to grab his mother before the falling debris hit her. Sasuke began to wail again as Mikoto took Karumi's hand, and the four of them made their way to the nearest evacuation shelter.

As they sat down, Itachi placed his hand over his face. His eyes stung, but perhaps it was all the dust and debris in the air. He ignored it for now, but the ache grew stronger as Karumi softly touched the side of his face.

"You're in pain," she said. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Itachi shook his head and looked down at her. "You're not supposed to use your chakra for things like that," he told her, pulling away from her touch.

"I'm not supposed to use it for no reason," she corrected him, reaching out again. "My brother used to say that as long as you're helping someone, you should do everything you can to make sure they're okay."

The boy batted her hand away. "I said I'm fine," he muttered, softening when Sasuke stirred in his arms.

"Why don't you let me take him," his mother suggested, holding her arms out and taking the infant away from his older brother. Itachi frowned, but let her do so, looking out of the shelter's small window at the destruction of the Leaf Village.

"What's happening out there?" Karumi asked, bringing her knees to her chest as she curled up against the wall.

Itachi wanted to tell her that the village was being attacked - he could see the monster in the distance; but his mother gave him a look that told him not to say anything. Karumi had already lost her village once, after all. She shouldn't have to think she'd lose it again.

"It's probably an earthquake," he lied, and Karumi nodded slowly, resting her chin on her knees. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon."

A small smile formed on Karumi's features as Itachi moved to sit down beside her. She softly touched his hand, using her chakra to see the bones and tendons move as his fingers curled around hers.

"You shouldn't be doing that," Itachi told her, trying to pull his hand away, but Karumi only held it tighter.

"I'm training," she murmured, sending more chakra into his body. "I know that you leave to practise your ninja skills outside every day. It's the same thing." She smiled tiredly and leaned her head on his shoulder, finally letting go of his hand, and her vision went dark again.

"I have to ask," Mikoto's voice sounded from across the room. "What was your family like?"

Karumi frowned and lifted her head. "They were nice," she began slowly. "But they were always busy with patients. Even Sousuke -" she paused. "- Even my brother was learning medical ninjutsu and was helping people. They used to say he was the youngest doctor in the Hanakawa clan ever. He taught me some things about treating sick people, and I was allowed to help when everyone was really busy."

"Did he teach you how to use your chakra to look at people?" Mikoto asked, and Karumi shook her head, clasping her hands together.

"He told me about it, but everyone said I was too young to start learning." She was starting to relax, and she tilted her head back. A large crash sounded outside, making everyone in the room jolt in surprise, and Karumi grew tense again.

It was clear to Itachi that his mother was trying to distract Karumi from what was happening outside, and she spoke again. "Do you want to be a medical ninja too?"

Karumi nodded quickly, but didn't say anything more. Her chest hurt when she thought about her family, and she was already worried enough by the 'earthquake'. Something touched her hand and Karumi jumped slightly, before realising that they were Itachi's fingers. She smiled softly and began to slowly send her chakra into him again, closing her eyes and leaning back against the wall.

She could feel herself growing sleepy as the image of his hand began to fade, and Itachi quickly wrenched his hand away. Karumi's body felt heavy as she slowly slid sideways, leaning her weight on Itachi's shoulder as all consciousness slipped away.

XXXXXXX

A few weeks later, Karumi sat that the Uchiha's dining room table with the rest of her new family. The air was thick and tense, and she could hear the anger in Fugaku's breath as they ate in silence.

"We're moving," the man said finally, and Karumi felt her eyes widen.

"Why?" Itachi asked from his seat beside her, going quiet again when his father's angry scowl grew stronger.

"The village higher-ups have ordered it," Fugaku growled, and Karumi heard the scrape of porcelain on wood as he pushed his plate away and stood up. "I'm not hungry," he said. His heavy footsteps thudded against the floor and the door slid open, before slamming shut.

Silence filled the room again, before Mikoto spoke. "Your father's been on edge ever since the -" she cleared her throat, "- earthquake. Just give him some time. The police force have been very busy since it happened."

Karumi frowned. She'd known ever since Itachi had told her what was happening outside that the whole earthquake story was a lie. She knew about the demon fox that had attacked the village - she'd overheard many of the villagers whispering about it - but Karumi still decided to play along for the sake of her new family.

She quickly finished her food and stood up, thanking Mikoto, before making her way out and around the veranda to Sasuke's room. He'd been asleep while the family were eating, but cooed loudly as Karumi opened the door and approached his crib. She gently leaned against the side of the crib and reached up, giving the mobile a small push and smiling when the infant giggled as he watched it spin.

Itachi slid the door open, but Karumi ignored the sound, folding her arms and resting them on the side rail. She'd found that she and Itachi were very similar in that they were constantly checking on the baby Uchiha when they had nothing better to do.

"Are you gonna go train?" Karumi asked as she felt the older boy stand beside her, before reaching out the cup the side of his neck - something she'd learned to do automatically when Itachi was close enough.

He nodded. "I just came to check on Sasuke first," he told her. "Look after him while I'm away, okay?"

Karumi smiled and nodded once enthusiastically. "I will," she said, letting go of Itachi. "I'll take really good care of him."


	5. Part II: Chapter 1

"Now remember what I told you," Mikoto said as she fussed over the two older children in the household. "Karumi, don't be afraid to ask your teachers for help. Itachi, try to play nicely with the other kids, but make sure you look after Karumi too." She stood back, satisfied with herself. It had taken her weeks to convince her husband to let Karumi attend the academy along with Itachi, and he'd finally given in.

Sasuke, now already a toddler, watched from the hallway, pressing himself against the wall in a failed attempt to hide himself. His older brother noticed him instantly and beckoned him over, crouching down to Sasuke's level.

"Behave yourself, okay?" Itachi said as he smiled and stood up properly again. Sasuke nodded and looked over at Karumi, who held her hand out for him, smiling when he took it gingerly in his.

"We'll be back this afternoon," she assured him. "Then we'll play whatever games you want to."

Sasuke smiled and watched as Itachi took Karumi's other hand, before leading her out the door. "Have fun in school!" the younger Uchiha called out after them as Karumi let go of his hand and waved, before disappearing from his sight.

The two older children walked together through the clan's complex of houses they'd moved into almost two years prior, staying silent as they continued to make their way through the village until they reached the Academy.

"We're in different classes," Itachi reminded her as he helped her into the building. "But I'll take you to your class and then I'll meet you at lunch."

Karumi nodded and placed her hand against the wall, running her fingers along posters and lockers, and memorising what she felt so that she'd know where to go.

"We're here," Itachi murmured as they came to a stop, letting Karumi feel for the door before leading her inside. She could hear the loud chatter from the classroom even before they entered, and the children inside didn't even seem to notice the pair until someone called out that Itachi Uchiha had just walked in.

Itachi ignored them as the chatter grew louder and continued to lead Karumi to a seat in the front row. "Where's your classroom?" Karumi asked as she sat down, tilting her head to make it look like she was looking at Itachi.

"Just a few doors down," he said. "But I'll come get you. Just stay here until class is over and wait for me."

Karumi nodded and waved as Itachi moved away, before settling into her chair. She'd asked Itachi to teach her some basic knowledge that the other kids could only learn visually, such as hand signs, so she wouldn't fall behind too quickly during the classes. She felt confident - at least, for now.

Something thudded on her desk, making Karumi jump. "Woah! Didn't mean to scare you!" A young girl's voice sounded, making Karumi tilt her head up to where she thought the sound was coming from. "I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

"Karumi," the girl said, shifting uncomfortably. Even after two years in the Leaf Village, she hadn't socialised much with the other children unless Itachi was with her.

"Karumi Hyuuga, huh? Never heard of you." The voice sounded again, making Karumi frown. She listened as the person moved to sit beside her, before the door to the classroom slid open.

"Okay, everyone, settle down," a man who Karumi assumed was her teacher called out as his footsteps approached the desk at the front of the room. "Before we get started, is Karumi Hanakawa here?"

The room fell silent as Karumi hesitantly raised her hand.

"Okay. You're there. Good." The teacher's voice sounded awkward before his confidence seemed to return and he continued with the lesson. Karumi slowly lowered her hand and sat in silence as she listened to the lecture.

She'd already learned most of what the teacher was talking about from Itachi, but she still listened intently to the explanation, making mental notes on what to ask Itachi about later.

Time seemed to pass incredibly quickly - Karumi was enjoying herself, losing herself in her imagination as she tried to abstractly picture her teacher's talk on chakra. Before she realised it, the teacher had dismissed them for lunch.

Karumi went to stand, but remembered that Itachi had told her to stay put. She sat back down and waited, flinching in surprise when the person beside her spoke.

"Hey, wanna come have lunch with us?" she asked. Karumi did. She desperately wanted to go outside and sit with her classmates; but she also wanted to stay with Itachi.

"No, thank you," Karumi said, trying to sound as polite as possible.

The other girl huffed and turned away, muttering about how stuck up the Hyuuga clan was as she stalked off. Karumi frowned. She'd heard about the Hyuuga clan many times when people confused her for one of their members but she'd never met any of them, and she wasn't sure why she kept being mistaken for one of them. Perhaps they all had white hair.

The chatter in the room suddenly grew louder and Karumi lifted her head attentively as if by instinct. The quiet knock of something being placed on her desk met her ears and a warm hand touched hers.

"Let's find somewhere else to sit," Itachi said. "It's loud in here."

Karumi nodded and reached for the lunchbox he'd placed in front of her before standing up, letting Itachi hold her hand as he led her outside; the noise in the classroom growing even louder with gossip.

The two of them relaxed as they left the building, choosing to sit outside under a large tree. Karumi yelped as something knocked her leg and jumped back, her back hitting Itachi in the chest.

"It's just a swing," Itachi assured her, grabbing her shoulders as he steadied her. Karumi calmed down and reached out gingerly for the rope, wrapping her fingers around it before moving around to sit on it. Once she was sure she had her balance, Karumi opened her lunchbox and began eating, listening as Itachi sat leaning against the tree trunk beside her.

"How's class so far?" Karumi asked through a mouthful of rice.

Itachi shrugged. "We're just learning the basics. It's stuff I already know."

Karumi nodded and returned to eating in silence, gently rocking back and forth on the swing. Itachi was smart - that much was obvious - and while that meant he could help her keep up with her studies, Karumi didn't want to be a burden to him. She knew Itachi would advance way beyond what she could. She'd heard the adults talking.

"Itachi?" she asked, and the boy lifted his head. "Who are the Hyuuga?"

Itachi couldn't help but let a small smile lift the corners of his mouth. "They're a clan in this village who possess a visual jutsu that gives them the ability to see chakra as well as extremely far distances." He paused. "Did someone think you were one of them?"

She nodded. "Do I look like them?"

"You have a similar eye colour," he told her.

"Blue?"

Itachi frowned. "White," he correct, watching her smile fall. Karumi often forgot the fact that the blinding jutsu had changed her appearance, but Itachi also sometimes forgot that she'd once had a different eye colour.

"Itachi!" a girl's voice called out, making the two of them look up.

"Who's that?" Karumi asked as Itachi stood up.

"Izumi Uchiha. We're in the same class."

Karumi frowned as the sound of light footsteps approached and lowered her head as she listened to the girl speak.

"We're all gonna go train after school. Do you wanna come with us?"

Itachi looked back at Karumi. "I prefer to train by myself," he said, and Izumi nodded understandably.

"That makes sense. You're on a whole other level after all," Izumi said softly, turning to Karumi. "What about you?"

It took Karumi a moment to realise she was being addressed, and she quickly shook her head. It was easier if she went home as soon as possible. After all, she'd promised Sasuke she'd play with him.

One of the teachers called out that class was to start again, and Itachi took Karumi's hand to lead her back inside. She insisted once they entered the building that she could make her way back to her classroom, and while Itachi agreed, he still followed beside her, impressed as he watched from the doorway as she made her way unassisted to her seat and sat down, before leaving her to make his way back to his own class.

She was progressing quickly in terms of independance, and Itachi wondered if she would get to the point where she wouldn't need to rely on anyone. Then again, that was unlikely. Although Itachi would never see her as a burden in the same way he knew his father did, he was aware that she'd never be able to become a shinobi like everyone else.

XXXXXXX

Karumi listened to the tiny footsteps that thudded against the hardwood floor and readied herself as Sasuke crashed into her, wrapping his small arms around her waist. "Welcome home!" he grinned, making her crack a small smile. Itachi entered behind her and Sasuke quickly let go of Karumi, running to jump at his older brother in the same way he'd done to Karumi.

"Hey! Let's go play, you guys!" Sasuke cried happily as Itachi steadied himself. "Okay? What should we play?"

"Sasuke," Mikoto warned as she appeared in the hallway, carrying a load of laundry. "They both have Academy homework to do. You need to wait until they've finished doing all of it."

Sasuke huffed and looked down in disappointment, making Itachi smile softly.

"It's alright," he assured his mother. "Besides, it's easy."

The younger Uchiha looked back and giggled triumphantly, before looking over at Karumi. "Are you gonna come too?" he asked, still clinging to Itachi.

Karumi shook her head slowly. "I have to study if I don't want to fall behind in class," she told him. "Plus, if it's just Itachi, you can both play outside, remember?"

Sasuke seemed to consider it, before nodding. "Tell us when you're done, okay?" he chirped, following Itachi outside and closing the door behind him. Karumi sighed, her shoulders sagging tiredly as she made her way to the laundry where she knew Mikoto was.

"What's the matter?" the woman asked gently as Karumi stood in the doorway.

"My teacher said I needed someone to help me read the questions on our homework," Karumi answered, holding out a sheet of paper. "He's going to test me on them tomorrow."

"That's very good of him," Mikoto said, taking the question sheet and reading over it, before crouching down to Karumi's level. "Do you like the Academy?" she asked. "Because if you don't, you don't have to keep going. We can find other things for you to do."

Karumi shook her head. "I like it," she said firmly. "Besides, Itachi's there to help me."


	6. Part II: Chapter 2

Karumi was quick to finish her dinner, sitting quietly as the rest of the family ate. She stiffened a little when she felt Sasuke jump up excitedly from his seat beside her. "Big brother and I played hide and seek today, but he used a clone to trick me," he told everyone. "That's cheating, isn't it?"

Fugaku seemed to ignore Sasuke's question, turning to Itachi instead. "You've already mastered the clone jutsu?" he asked, interested.

"Big brother," the younger Uchiha said after a short pause. "Teach me the clone jutsu after dinner, okay?"

"Homework first!" his mother snapped, making Sasuke flinch and lower his head as he sat back down.

Itachi smiled gently and poked his brother in the forehead - something Karumi noticed he did often, especially since Sasuke always came complaining to her when he did it. "Sorry, Sasuke," he appologised sincerely. "Another time."

Karumi took this chance to lean over and talk quietly into Sasuke's ear. "I've already finished my homework," she said. "I'll play with you if you want."

The younger Uchiha seemed to perk up at that. "Okay!" he said excitedly, rushing to finish his dinner before taking her hand and dragging her off to his bedroom. "Sit here!" he ordered, pushing her lightly until she sat back on the end of his bed.

Karumi smiled as Sasuke announced they'd be playing 'rescue the princess', before handing her something plush that she knew was his small stuffed dragon toy. "Oh no!" she said over-dramatically, shaking the dragon from side to side. "I've been kidnapped by the evil dragon! Who will save me?"

"I will!" Sasuke shouted heroically, attempting to hit the toy with cardboard shuriken. Karumi laughed and threw the dragon up in the air, letting it land on the floor with a light thud, before reaching forward and hugging Sasuke to her chest.

"Thank you, brave knight," she said, laughing again when Sasuke struggled free.

"You're wrong!" he cried. "I'm not a knight! I'm a shinobi."

Karumi grinned. "I see," she said, hugging him again. "In that case, a kiss for the brave shinobi who saved me from the ferocious dragon." With that, Karumi leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Sasuke's forehead, right where Itachi had poked him before.

Sasuke giggled as she let him go before dropping to the floor. "I'm gonna build us a house, okay?" he said, gathering up his wooden building blocks.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Karumi said, standing up and heading slowly for the door. "You really should be in bed right now, though."

"I will!" Sasuke called after her as she closed the door. Karumi felt herself smile again as she made her way back to the kitchen for a glass of water. As Karumi grew closer, she heard Mikoto's and Fugaku's voices from one of the rooms, and stopped to listen from the doorway.

"Well, I asked her," Mikoto's voice sounded. "And she said she was perfectly comfortable as long as Itachi was around."

"That's the problem," Fugaku replied gruffly. "Itachi won't always be around. I've spoken with his instructors. He's already progressed far beyond his classmates. Whereas the girl..." he trailed off, and Karumi waited as silence filled the air.

The door opened suddenly and Karumi gasped, stumbling back a little.

Fugaku frowned down at her. "So you heard," he murmured, stepping aside. "Come in and sit down."

Karumi lowered her head shamefully and did as he said, kneeling on the floor as Fugaku sat across from her.

"I'm going to put this bluntly," he said. "You won't be able to keep up at the Academy for long, even if Itachi were to help you." Karumi stayed silent, her hands balling into fists as she kept her head bowed.

"The thing is," Mikoto continued for her husband. "The people in the medical unit heard about your family, and are willing to take you on as an apprentice if they feel you're skilled enough. You said you wanted to be a medical ninja, right?"

Karumi lifted her head. "They'll teach me instead of the people at the Academy?" she asked.

"Only if they think you're worth teaching," Fugaku said, but softened a little as he watched the girl's cheeks colour in excitement. "But yes. They are willing to help you learn medical ninjutsu."

Karumi could hardly contain the broad grin as she nodded and stood up, before bowing quickly and making her way back to her room. She stopped when she heard footsteps and pressed herself against the wall in an attempt to let whoever it was walk by without her getting in their way.

"Big sister!" Sasuke's voice sounded as a small pair of hands grabbed hers. "I finished building the house!"

She smiled softly down at him and relaxed a little. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" she asked, letting Sasuke lead her through the house.

The younger Uchiha ignored her, stopping at the entrance of his bedroom and letting her feel for the delicate structure he'd built. "That's the roof," he told her as she touched a triangular block. "That's the door - oh, and there's a pool."

Karumi smirked as she touched another triangular shaped block. "What's this?" she asked.

"That's the slide that goes from my room into the pool," Sasuke told her proudly. Karumi laughed softly, turning her head when she heard a quiet knock on the doorframe. "Big brother!" Sasuke cried, standing up and running up to Itachi.

"What are you two doing in here?" Itachi asked, picking Sasuke up and carrying him across the room, before setting him on the bed.

"It's Karumi's and my house," Sasuke explained. "See?"

Itachi stood above the structure, looking down at it. "Where's my room?" he asked jokingly. Sasuke gasped and tried to hop off the bed again, but Itachi stopped him. "Fix it in the morning, but now you need to sleep."

Sasuke frowned and puffed out his cheeks in frustration, but settled underneath the covers. Itachi gently touched Karumi's shoulder, helping her to her feet.

"Father told me you won't be attending the Academy anymore," Itachi said as they walked down the hallway.

Karumi nodded. "The medical corps might take me on as an apprentice," she told him. "Can you take me there tomorrow?"

"I normally train in the morning, but I can take you afterwards." Karumi tilted her head at that.

"Can I come with you to train?" she asked, and Itachi shrugged then nodded. After the Uchiha clan was forced to move Karumi had been given her own room, and Itachi stopped her in front of it. "See you tomorrow," Karumi murmured, smiling ironically as she closed the door behind herself.

XXXXXXX

Itachi had expected Karumi to still be asleep when he knocked on her door the next morning. Instead, after entering the room, he found her sitting at the small wooden desk by the window, her face glowing in the early morning sunlight. She'd stood up when she'd heard the door open, and gently placed her hand on the wall to guide herself past Itachi and towards the front door.

Karumi let Itachi take her hand and lead her through the Uchiha complex until they reached his personal training area. She felt her way to a tree and sat leaning against the trunk, pulling her knees up to her chest as she felt wisps of her long white hair tickle her cheek.

She closed her eyes, relaxing against the tree as she felt herself teetering on the edge between being awake and sleep. From where she sat, Karumi could hear that Itachi was practising with his shuriken. She could hear the faint whistle as they sailed through the air, the soft thuds as they landed on the targets, and the shift in the gravel and dirt as Itachi moved around.

Karumi didn't know how long she'd been waiting under the tree, but it was long enough for her to find a pattern in Itachi's targets. Left, right, centre, left, right, centre, and so on. The day was getting hotter, and as Karumi was pressing herself further under the cooling shade of the tree, the sound of Itachi's shuriken stopped.

"Are you ready to go?" Itachi asked, helping Karumi up after she nodded. She felt refreshed, not knowing that her barely existent nap was actually spent unconsciously gathering chakra.

"Don't you have to get to the Academy soon?" Karumi asked, touching Itachi's neck softly as he shook his head.

"It's still early," he told her. "I cut my training short today. I'll do some more this afternoon."

Even though he said that, Karumi could hear the bustling sounds of the village as people went about their day, and she pressed herself closer to Itachi to keep out of the way. His grip on her hand tightened a little reassuringly as they reached the medical corps, and Karumi felt the air cool as they entered the building. She waited as Itachi let go of her hand to approach one of the medics to ask for directions, listening to the rushing footsteps of people hurriedly passing her by.

"If you turn left down this hallway, it's the third door on your right," Itachi's voice sounded as he returned to Karumi's side. "Do you want me to take you?"

Karumi shook her head. "I can do it myself," she smiled, waving behind herself as she found a wall and began to follow it, turning the corner and disappearing from Itachi's sight. She followed the hallway, counting the doors until she reached the third on the right, before gently pushing it open.

As someone rushed past Karumi, she pushed herself against the nearest wall, bumping into a table and hearing what sounded like a stack of books tumble to the floor.

"Ah, geez..." a masculine voice sighed as someone bent down to pick the books back up. "Hey kid, are you lost or something?"

Karumi swallowed nervously and shook her head. "I was told to come here," she said. "My name's Karumi Hanakawa."

"Oh!" the man said in realisation. "Yeah, uh, just take a seat."

The girl nodded and felt her way to the chair by the table she'd bumped, pulling it out and cautiously sitting down. Karumi hung her head as she felt her face heat up. She'd only just arrived and already she'd made a mess of things. This wouldn't have happened if Itachi was there.

Karumi pinched her hand. Now was not the time to be relying on Itachi. The whole reason she was at the medical corps was because she relied on him too much. A small knock on the table made Karumi lift her head.

"Karumi, isn't it?" A soft, feminine voice asked. "We just want to test some things - chakra control and the like." Karumi listened as what sounded like a scroll was rolled out in front of her, and something was placed on top of it. "This is a fish," the woman spoke again. "To see how adept you are at medical ninjutsu, I want you to use your chakra to stimulate its brain and its heart."

Frowning as she touched the slimy scales of the large fish, Karumi closed her eyes. "How will I know if I'm doing it?" she asked as the image of the fish's insides flashed through her mind. She didn't know what she was doing, but in a way she knew what she was looking for. She could easily remember the charts in her family's household, and while fish hearts and human hearts were completely different, Karumi knew she'd found it.

As she began slowly feeding chakra into the fish, Karumi felt good; like she was doing the right thing. She listened as the other medical nin gathered around her to watch, her heartbeat growing stronger as she began to feel nervous.

She wasn't aware she'd spent the morning building up her chakra, and a sudden shaky burst shot into the fish, ripping it to shreds.

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate as people continued to go about their work. Of course there was no way such a young child could flawlessly perform medical ninjutsu on her first try. They all knew that. Though the name 'Hanakawa' had brought with it a sense of curiosity that perhaps it was possible.

Karumi lowered her head and closed her eyes. She felt light-headed - dizzy, even - and her hands gripped the edge of the table firmly in frustration.

"You were doing well," the woman from earlier told her encouragingly. "We didn't expect you to do it the first time. Why don't you go home and rest for now? You can always come back tomorrow."

The young girl pursed her lips and nodded. She wanted to try again, but she just felt so tired. Lowering her head, Karumi felt her way to the wall, nodding politely to the rest of the medical ninja before leaving the room.

Needless to say, Karumi was disappointed. She'd been told by Fugaku to make a good impression, but had botched her attempt at doing so. She sat on the steps outside the building and waited for someone to pick her up.


	7. Part II: Chapter 3

The straw of the tatami mats in the Uchiha residence pressed uncomfortably into Karumi's knees. She sat in front of Fugaku with Itachi by her side, waiting to hear what had been decided in regards to her training.

She'd been with the medical corps for almost two weeks, and was still yet to make any progress. Of course, they'd given her hints for how to perform medical ninjutsu and encouraged her whenever she'd failed, but Karumi was nervous about what Fugaku had to say. She'd been unable to build up enough chakra after the first incident, and had always fallen short.

After a long moment of silence, Fugaku took a deep breath through his nose. "They're letting you stay," he said. Karumi slowly lifted her head, eyes wide in surprise.

"That's great, Karumi," Itachi's voice sounded from beside her.

Karumi's brow furrowed. "But," she murmured. "I failed every one of their tests."

"You're barely seven years old," Fugaku said sternly. "I doubt they were expecting anything from you in the first place."

Karumi frowned and lowered her head, pursing her lips to keep herself from grinning. She was happy - ecstatic, even - but held it in.

"As for you, Itachi," Fugaku said. "You're teachers at the Academy have been speaking to me. It's clear to them that you're levels above your class in terms of skill. They're wanting to move you up."

Karumi turned her head toward Itachi and smiled encouragingly. Itachi lowered his head respectfully and thanked his father.

"I'm proud of the both of you," Fugaku said, catching the two children by surprise. The two of them were silent before Itachi stood, also helping Karumi to her feet, and they left the room.

As soon as they were out of sight, Karumi wrapped her arms around Itachi's shoulders, hugging him tightly. "Congratulations," she smiled, letting go of the older boy's frame after feeling him nod.

The light patter of footsteps and Sasuke's excited voice sounded from a few feet in front of them. "There you are!" he cried happily, running forward and hugging Karumi's leg. "Big brother," he said, still latched to Karumi. "Teach me to throw shuriken, okay?"

Itachi smiled softly and poked Sasuke's forehead. "Sorry, Sasuke," he said. "I'm a little busy right now. Maybe later this afternoon."

As Itachi walked away, Karumi bent down and softly kissed Sasuke's forehead. "While you're not busy," she said. "Would you like to come with me to the medical corps? Helping me around town is a special job that only a few people can do."

Sasuke nodded quickly and let go of Karumi's leg, taking her hand instead and heading for the door.

Karumi waited for Sasuke to pull on his shoes before reaching to open the door, pausing as a knock sounded from the other side. She gently slid it open.

"Uh, does Itachi Uchiha live here?" a young masculine voice asked. Karumi narrowed her eyes.

"Who's asking?" she almost growled. She'd heard about the other kids starting fights with Itachi, and while she knew he could handle himself, Karumi wasn't about to let any bullies get anywhere near him.

"My name's Shisui Uchiha..." the boy trailed off in uncertainty. "Do I have the wrong house?"

Karumi frowned and shook her head. "No," she said, relaxing a little. "He lives here. He's just left to train."

"Ah, okay," Shisui paused, making Karumi frown. "Hey, Sasuke," he said, his tone a little more cheerful. "Do you know where Itachi went?"

"Umm..." Sasuke's voice sounded. "He might be by the lake today." Shisui quickly thanked him and walked away, leaving Karumi to tilt her head in confusion.

"Do you know him, Sasuke?" she asked.

Sasuke nodded as he took her hand and led her out the door. "Uh-huh," he said. "Shisui trains with big brother all the time. They've known each other for ages!"

Karumi frowned as the sound of their footsteps on the cobblestones changed to the hard dirt of the rest of the village. Why hadn't she known? As far as Karumi was concerned, she and Itachi knew everything about each other - they were best friends in her eyes.

She shook her head. If she herself spent days in the medical corps being trained by other ninja, there was no reason Itachi wouldn't be doing something similar.

Karumi barely noticed the temperature change as she and Sasuke entered the air-conditioned building. "It's this way," she said, having spent so much time there that she knew her way around. "I'm sure they won't mind if you stay with me while I train."

She opened the door and entered the room in which she'd been training for the past weeks, smiling as Sasuke followed shyly behind her. Karumi felt her way along the walls and to the large table, noticing a set of scrolls piled on her workspace.

"What are these?" she asked rather loudly, catching the attention of some of the other ninja.

"We figured you'd find out about them eventually, so we're giving them to you," one of the ninja said, her voice oddly sheepish. "They're educational scrolls recovered from the Hanakawa residences. We can't make any sense of them since we don't have the kekkei genkai, so we thought you could learn a thing or two from them."

Karumi frowned as she unraveled one of the scrolls. "I can't read," she called out, irritation seeping into her voice. Sasuke giggled quietly from beside her, making her relax.

"We'll send for some genin to help you," one of the other medical ninja called back. "Just sit tight until then."

XXXXXXX

Karumi wrung her hands together, eager to test out some of the new skills illustrated in her family's scrolls. She'd had no idea her ability to see into people's bodies could be used in so many ways. As a start, the basic scrolls had referred to something as 'tagging', in which a certain amount of the medical ninja's chakra could be placed on a critical condition patient. The medic would then be able to keep an eye on the patient's condition while also completing other tasks.

"I can't believe we have to babysit some blind kid," one of the genin said loudly from the other side of the room, making Karumi frown. The boy had been uncooperative from the start, and the jounin that had accompanied the group apologised to Karumi for the upteenth time.

Karumi sighed and stood up, feeling her way along the various tables and shelves to where she'd heard him speak from. She stuck her foot out, kicking him lightly to make sure he was there, before crouching down in front of him.

"What?" he sneered.

"If you're not going to help, at least keep quiet," she said lowly, reaching out and pressing her palm to the older boy's forehead. If she was going to test out her techniques, she might as well make the boy useful.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, stunned, as Karumi returned to her seat. Her eyes widened a little as the sound of a heart beat other than her own thumped in her head. She could faintly see flashing images of muscle and bone as the boy on the other side of the room shifted uncomfortably.

"In theory," the young female genin said as she read over the scroll again, a hint of a smile in her voice. "You should only be seeing into his body with half your field of vision. That way, you'd be able to keep performing other tasks."

Karumi nodded slowly. Something did feel off about what she was seeing.

The accompanying jounin called out to the unhelpful boy and told him to stand up. Karumi froze as a flurry of images flashed in her mind: blood pressure dropping, various joints stretching out from flexed positions, muscles tensing.

She clutched her head, feeling woozy as her head hit the desk. "How do I make it stop?" she asked weakly, feeling Sasuke's small hand touch her arm in concern. The sound of shuffling paper only made her headache worse as the older girl searched for an answer.

"Either you pass out..." The girl trailed off as more scrolls were flipped through. "...Or your patient does."

Karumi felt like she was about to throw up as she closed her eyes. The genin squad's and medical ninja's panicked voices became wavy and distorted before everything went silent.

XXXXXXX

Even though Karumi was treated to blackness when she opened her eyes, the clear sound of Sasuke's voice asking if she was okay and his finger poking her upper arm told her she was awake. She sat up, gasping as Sasuke hugged her tightly around her waist.

"We were worried about you." Karumi heard the familiar sound of the female genin's voice, before she muttered quietly: "It's your fault she fainted. You should apologise, Sensei."

A low chuckle and an awkward 'sorry' sounded from the jounin. "If you can master that tagging technique," he said lightly. "It could be very useful to you in battle."

Karumi frowned as the squad took their leave, and Sasuke held her hand as he helped her up. The two of them left the building, with Karumi still a little wobbly on her feet, and made their way back to the Uchiha residence.

As Karumi slid the door open, the smell of lunch being made wafted through the air. Both Sasuke's and her stomachs growled as they hurriedly kicked their shoes off and ran to the kitchen

"Big brother?" Sasuke said in confusion, making Karumi stop in her tracks. "How come you're home so early?"

Itachi smiled as his younger brother sat beside him and set his chopsticks down. "I'm not home early," he said, looking across the room at Karumi, who hadn't moved from her place in the doorway. "You two spent a long time at the medical corps. What were you doing?"

"It was so cool!" Sasuke said, launching into his recount of their morning, putting in more detail to his story than necessary. Karumi lowered her head in embarrassment when Sasuke finished with: "And then she fainted!"

Karumi could almost feel Itachi's gaze grow stronger as she sat across from him and felt for her bowl. "It wasn't that big of a deal," she mumbled. "It happens all the time."

"You shouldn't overwork yourself like that," Mikoto said, dishing some rice into Karumi's bowl. "Take tomorrow off from medical ninjutsu, alright?"

The young girl sighed and nodded, before quietly eating her food. She did need the break, but something that jounin had said stuck with her. "Do you ever think I could become a proper ninja?" she asked. "One who goes on real missions?"

The room went quiet, and Karumi could just imagine the others looking at each other in confusion. The heavy silence was only interrupted by a knock on the door, making Karumi's shoulders sink in relief.

"Itachi, go get the door," Mikoto said, and Karumi listened carefully as the older Uchiha stood up and made his way to the front of the home. Voices sounded from the hallway before two pairs of footsteps returned to the dining room.

"Karumi got a gift basket," Itachi said quietly, placing something large on the table in front of Karumi.

"An apology for earlier," the familiar voice of the genin squad's jounin from the medical centre said. "Though I still stand by what I said."

The tension in the room had returned, and Mikoto spoke. "Why don't the three of you go outside for a little while I talk with this man," she suggested. "Share that gift basket."

Karumi was quick to stand up and grab the box-like object, making her way outside with Sasuke and Itachi close behind her. She sat down under a large tree and placed the basket on the ground, sighing as she leaned back against the trunk.

"You didn't say the jounin was a Hyuuga, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly as he inspected the contents of the gift basket, making Karumi lift her head in surprise.

"Hmm?" Sasuke sounded curiously. "I just thought he looked like big sister."

Karumi tried to listen for any fighting or loud noises coming from their house, but she couldn't hear anything.

"Can I have these sweet dumplings?" Itachi asked, bringing Karumi's attention away from the house and back to the two Uchiha boys.

"Sure."


	8. Part II: Chapter 4

Karumi had been sitting under the tree for the past hour or so, drifting in and out of sleep as she listened to Itachi teaching Sasuke simple taijutsu techniques. It was a hot day, but the cool breeze and shading leaves created a refreshing sanctuary for her to doze in. She perked up when she heard the door open, and two sets of footsteps approached her.

"Karumi," Mikoto said tentatively. "How do you feel about learning Taijutsu?" Her voice sounded worried, making Karumi's forehead crease in uncertainty.

"I..." Karumi trailed off, lowering her head.

"No one's making you," the Hyuuga jounin assured her. "Like I said earlier, you can use that tagging technique of yours for more than just medical ninjutsu."

Karumi hid her face. It seemed impossible that she'd be able to fight like other normal people. It probably was impossible, but Karumi also knew that, more than anything, she wanted to be on the same level as Itachi. She'd been working hard at the medical corps, but medical ninjutsu could only take her so far.

"How about we give you some time to think about it," the jounin suggested, stepping back. "I'll take my leave, then. I'll let the other clan members know I'm expecting you. Just stop by when you feel like it."

As he left, a new set of heavy footsteps approached the group. "Who was that?" Fugaku's stern voice sounded. "And what was he doing in the Uchiha compound?"

Mikoto stepped forward and quietly explained the situation to her husband as Karumi stood up, placing her hand on Itachi's shoulder and letting him take her back inside.

"Are you going through with it?" Itachi asked as they stopped in front of Karumi's room.

She shrugged and rested her hand against the side of his neck. "I don't know yet," she said. "I want to, but I want to focus on medical ninjutsu as well."

Itachi nodded. "It would be good if you could fight as well," he said. "But I can't understand how something like that could ever work." With that, Karumi smiled and nodded politely to Itachi, closing the bedroom door behind herself. Perhaps learning hand-to-hand combat would be impossible for her after all.

XXXXXXX

Three days later, Karumi stood in front of the closed gates of the Hyuuga clan's residence with Itachi by her side. Her hand grasped his tightly as she stepped forward and knocked on the large wooden gates. After a few moments, the gates opened, and Karumi walked forwards, dragging Itachi along with her.

"Ah, Karumi!" The familiar voice of the jounin sounded happily. "I'm glad you decided to come." Karumi smiled and continued to walk, but the man stopped her, directing his attention towards Itachi. "I'm sure your friend knows we can't have him watch."

Karumi's grip on Itachi's hand tightened, but the young Uchiha touched her shoulder gently. "He's right," he murmured quietly, and Karumi started to protest. "That just means he's teaching you techniques that only the Hyuuga clan knows. I'll come back in a few hours to find you."

Karumi stood still and hesitantly relaxed her grip, frowning at the feeling of Itachi's larger hand sliding out of her own. Now alone, Karumi's entire body tensed as her ears picked up the sound of the jounin approaching her.

"We're not going to hurt you," he said kindly. "I'm Higo Hyuuga. You'll be under my instruction for today."

The young girl relaxed only slightly and reached out, placing her hand across the man's face. His jaw was narrow, an odd scar was hidden under hif Leaf Village headband, and his eyes were such a pale lavender colour that they were almost white. Large veins protruded from his temples, heading towards his eyes, and Karumi reeled back.

"You might want to get that looked at," she muttered, making Higo laugh.

"That's the Hyuuga clan's Byakugan. It allows us to -"

"See chakra," Karumi cut him off. "I've heard about it before."

The man chuckled again. "Then you know that your 'tagging' ability shows you something similar." He paused, and Karumi said nothing. "Come with me," Higo said, holding his hand out.

Karumi took it and walked with him away from the front entrance to where she assumed the clan's training grounds were.

"The Hyuuga's signature style is known as the Gentle Fist," Higo explained as they walked. "It relies on pinpointing your opponent's Chakra Pathway System to damage their internal organs."

Karumi frowned. "I can only see flashes of parts in people's bodies," she told him. "And I can't see chakra pathways."

Higo nodded. "Which is why I'm going to teach you where they are," he said, coming to a stop and letting go of Karumi's hand. "First, we'll start with some basic forms. The Gentle Fist relies on circular motions with your body, so we'll start with the first position."

As Higo began to direct her on how to position her arms and where to place her weight, Karumi felt a small smile spread onto her face. She finally felt like she could catch up with the kids at The Academy - if not Itachi as well.

The sound of a door opening stopped Karumi in her tracks. "Higo, you didn't tell me the girl had arrived," a clear, commanding voice sounded from the wooden veranda surrounding the large house.

"Apologies, Lord Hizashi," Higo said. "I wanted to get started right away after I witnessed her chakra control for myself."

"Let's see, then," the other man said lightly, eager to see her skills for himself.

"Karumi," Higo murmured encouragingly. "Lord Hizashi is the head of the branch family. He'd like to meet you."

Karumi lifted her head a little and held out her hand. She didn't understand what Higo had meant by 'branch family', but she noticed the similar oddly-shaped scar on the man's forehead - the same one as Higo's.

A small hand touched Karumi's, and she jolted a little. "This is my son, Neji," Lord Hizashi's voice sounded. Karumi stepped a little closer, taking Neji's warm hand between her two palms. Like the rest of the family, his eyes were featureless and white, though he didn't have the odd scar. He couldn't have been much older than Sasuke, and Karumi smiled softly.

"You've got a small fever," she said gently. "Try to get some rest so you don't feel sick later, okay?" Neji quickly let go of her and she stepped back.

"Brilliant," Lord Hizashi breathed. "Sorry for interrupting your training. Excuse us."

Karumi waited and listened as Lord Hizashi and his son walked away, before turning to face where she thought Higo was standing. Higo turned to her as well, smiling. "Let's see how well you've remembered those stances," he suggested, taking a few steps back.

XXXXXXX

Karumi sat on the wooden veranda structure surrounding the Hyuuga clan's residence, a hot cup of green tea resting on her lap. According to Higa, the sun was beginning to set, and Itachi should have been coming to take her home soon.

Small footsteps thudded against the wood, and Karumi tilted her head towards the noise. She slowly lifted her hand, feeling the child's small fingers wrap around her palm. "Didn't I say you should be resting?" she smiled.

Neji ignored her, but his grip tightened a little. "Are you coming back tomorrow?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm going to the medical corps tomorrow," she told him. "But I can probably come back the day after."

The small boy dropped her hand, and Karumi felt the vibrations of the wooden flooring as he ran off. A small knock sounded from across the courtyard, making Karumi lift her head.

"Looks like your friend's here," Higo stated, and Karumi set her tea down on the wood beside her. "Take my hand, I'll walk you over."

Karumi shook her head. "I can do it myself," she said, sliding off the veranda and heading towards the main gate. After hours of practising around the courtyard, she'd more or less memorised the open space. When her hand touched the wood, she pulled the gate open, yelping when something hit her stomach and wrapped around her waist.

"How was your training?" Sasuke's excited voice sounded, and Karumi smiled, gently patting his head.

"Difficult," she admitted. "But I think I can do it."

Sasuke giggled and let her go, returning to his brother's side. As the three of them began to walk, Karumi's stomach growled, and she smiled sheepishly.

"How about we stop for snacks on the way home?" she suggested, placing her hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Let's buy sweet dumplings." Karumi smiled brightly as she felt Itachi nod.

Sasuke whined in protest. "I don't like sweet dumplings!" he said, making Itachi poke his head and promise to buy him something different. The three of them went quiet as they headed towards the tea shop within the Uchiha compound, and Karumi began to slow down.

"Itachi," she said slowly, feeling the older Uchiha match her pace. "When you train tomorrow morning, can I come with you?" With her hand still on Itachi's shoulder, Karumi felt him nod as a small smile crossed his face.

"As long as you can keep up," he said playfully.

Sasuke roughly shook his arm. "I'm coming too, okay? You promised to teach me to throw kunai!"

Karumi laughed and gently nudged her shoulder against Itachi's. If she wanted to be on his level, she'd have to train like he did too - without falling behind on everything else.


	9. Part II: Chapter 5

Karumi had been sitting on the step by the household's front door for who knows how long. It had been cold when she'd woken up, unable to sleep out of sheer excitement, but as the sun was beginning to shine its light across the Uchiha complex, those who ran small shops were beginning to open their stores.

The floor behind her creaked and Karumi turned her head towards the noise. "How long have you been standing there for?" she asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Itachi's voice sounded, and Karumi sighed, lowering her head.

"I'm guessing we're not bringing Sasuke with us?" she asked, pushing herself up and opening the door, not letting Itachi answer.

Itachi smiled to himself as they walked, with Karumi close enough to touch him, but not clinging to him like she used to when she'd first started living with his family. The more he thought about it, the more Itachi realised that perhaps he was wrong when he'd thought she'd never be able to be a ninja. He'd been genuinely happy for her when the medical corps had decided to train her, and now that she was learning taijutsu, it was possible that she could at least make it to genin.

"Itachi," Karumi said seriously, pulling him out of his thoughts. "I have a problem building up enough chakra," she admitted, clearly frustrated. "And it's getting in the way of my lessons."

The young Uchiha's small kind smile returned. A problem with the build up of chakra was easy to fix with something as simple as meditation, and he told her exactly that. Karumi seemed to relax, but her movements were still tense - as if she was paying more attention to her surroundings than usual. Maybe it was Itachi's fault for not coming forward sooner while she waited for him.

The two of them reached Itachi's training area, and they sat under one of the large trees. Itachi took a deep breath as he looked up at the sunlight streaking through the overlapping green leaves. He couldn't imagine being unable to see the things he'd grown so accustomed to, but that was Karumi's reality. The young boy shook his head and instead began instructing her on posture and breathing techniques he preferred to use whenever he meditated.

He watched her blank eyes as they stared ahead and leaned forward curiously. It wasn't often that he sat this close to her - especially since she'd stopped attending the Academy. They sat across from each other at mealtimes, separated by the dining table, but it was only now that Itachi felt so interested.

"When you...'look' at people," he started curiously, making Karumi tilt her head a little. "What exactly do you see?"

Karumi seemed to pause, and she reached out to touch his hand. "I can see your bones, your tendons," she listed, trailing her hand up until she touched his face. "And now I can see your eyes," she smiled, pulling her hand away and returning to her meditating position, this time with her eyes closed.

"But," Itachi said. "You don't know what my face looks like - what colour my hair is -"

Karumi held her hand up, cutting him off. "I don't need to know things like that," she told him. "What's the point of knowing details like what colour things are? I like talking to you. That's all that matters, right?"

Itachi smiled and nodded. "Right," he agreed. It was almost refreshing to know that Karumi would never be like the seemingly obsessed girls in his class. Girls his age had called him cool, and adults always seemed to think he and Sasuke were unbelievable cute, but Karumi would never be physically able do something like that - and Itachi didn't mind at all.

The sound of footsteps had both children's attention snapping in its direction, and Itachi jumped up, relaxing when the person stepped out from behind one of the trees.

"Hey, Itachi," Shisui smiled, and Karumi seemed to grow tense. She recognised the voice, but she couldn't quite remember who it was. Shisui noticed her sitting on the ground with her head lowered and took a step back. "Aren't you that hostile girl who lives with Itachi's family?"

Itachi looked down at the girl in surprise. He wasn't aware the two had ever met, though Shisui had mentioned visiting his house on one of the days when they were supposed to be training together.

Karumi stood up, murmuring something about going to the medical corps, and began to walk away, but Itachi grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Shisui's even better than I am," he told her. "He'd be a better teacher than I would, too."

The young girl sighed and turned to face the two boys, folding her arms in front of her chest as Itachi dropped her hand. "I've only had one lesson," she said sourly. "You expect me to spar like this?"

Shisui laughed. "I wasn't expecting to spar at all," he said. "But now that you bring it up, it might be a good way to see your skill level."

Karumi narrowed her eyes skeptically. "If what Itachi says is true, you'd manage to beat me up in less than a minute."

The older boy laughed again and took her hand in his, making Karumi grow tense. "I promise to only use techniques a normal kid your age would be taught, and to only hit this hard." With that, Shisui slapped her lightly on the wrist.

Karumi's brow creased, as if she were still thinking it over, before she grabbed the older boy's wrist and pulled him towards her, reaching out to place her hand against his forehead, tagging him with her chakra. "Deal," she said with a firm nod, and stepped out into the open area, placing her weight on her back leg as she took up the signature Gentle Fist stance.

Images of muscles and bones flexing flashed through her mind, telling her that Shisui had followed after her.

"Start!" Itachi called out, stepping back as he watched the older Uchiha inch his way towards Karumi. The girl looked focused, as if she were solving some sort of puzzle. Itachi watched as Shisui moved to punch her, and Karumi's eyes widened before she ducked out of the way, narrowly dodging the hit by a hair's length.

Now Itachi was confused. How was she doing that? Although she had yet to land any hits herself, she seemed to be dodging all of Shisui's attacks - albeit, barely. He concluded that it was something to do with Karumi touching the older boy's head earlier; but, as smart as his teachers claimed he was, Itachi couldn't figure it out.

By then, Karumi seemed to be losing focus, with Shisui managing to get more and more light hits in. The young girl was beginning to sway back and forth, and Itachi realised it was the same way she acted whenever she used too much of her chakra.

"Stop the match!" Itachi called out as he ran towards Karumi, wrapping one arm around her waist and using the other to drape her arm over his shoulders, supporting her weight. "Karumi, you have to stop using your chakra now."

She shook her head. "I can't turn it off," she told him meekly. "One of us has to pass out."

"You've been training like this?" Itachi asked, his worried voice sounding warped in Karumi's exhausted state. "Do you collapse like this every day?"

"Of course not," she snapped tiredly. "I only sleep for half an hour, then I'm fine." She leaned her head on Itachi's shoulder and closed her eyes, letting herself be dragged and set under a nearby tree.

"Considering she can't see," Shisui said, placing his hand on Itachi's head. "That was impressive."

Itachi nodded, glancing one last time at Karumi before beginning his own training. Every so often, he would pause to check on her, impatiently waiting for her to wake up - just to know that she was okay.

XXXXXXX

"Look, she's alive!" The sound of Shisui's voice was the first thing Karumi heard when her eyes fluttered open. She pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes tiredly, stretching her arms over her head.

"Are you okay, Karumi?" Itachi asked, making her smile and nod in return.

"I have to get to the medical corps, now," she said quietly. "And you have to get to the Academy. You'll be late if you come with me."

"I can take you," Shisui piped up, and Karumi pursed her lips tightly.

It wasn't that she disliked the older boy, per se. Perhaps she was just jealous. After all, she considered Itachi to be her best friend, and had always believed that he thought the same way about her. To find out after two years of living with him that he and Shisui were so close was almost a betrayal in the young girl's mind.

Karumi reluctantly placed her hand on Shisui's shoulder and smiled in Itachi's direction before following the older Uchiha out of the training area. The two were quiet as they walked, and Karumi's hearing began to pick up the sound of the Leaf Village's busy chatter.

"I get the feeling you don't like me very much," Shisui said, and Karumi kept quiet. "Is it because I'm taking up the time you get to spend with your boyfriend?"

Karumi could hear the teasing smirk in his voice and stopped walking, crossing her arms over her chest. "He's not..." she trailed off sourly. At only six years old, her perception of what the term 'boyfriend' actually meant was limited to holding hands and playing together.

She and Itachi did that quite often.

Shisui grabbed her hand again and started walking. "I'm joking," he smiled as Karumi struggled to catch up with his longer strides. The young girl frowned. Shisui wasn't nearly as serious as Itachi was, and it put her on edge.

The smell of barbequed meat wafted through the air, and Karumi knew she was right in front of the medical corps. "I can make it from here myself," she told him, taking a few steps forward and placing her hand on the door.

"If you're sure," Shisui called after her as she opened the door, before slowly walking away.

The familiar air conditioned coolness of the building had Karumi instantly relaxing and she slowly made her way to her shared workroom. As she opened the door, Karumi was greeted by the other medical ninja who shared the office space with her.

"That's the third Uchiha boy you've turned up here with," one of them laughed. "Promise us we're invited to the wedding!"

Karumi huffed. First Shisui, and now these people as well. She was beginning to get sick of these 'jokes'. Her cheeks grew hot with anger as she sat at her desk and she lowered her head.

"They're just teasing, Honey," the only other female medical ninja in the room, Yayoi, assured her, quickly changing the subject when Karumi's angry expression didn't fade. "We've hired some more genin to go over your scrolls again, if you need them."

The young girl seemed to perk up suddenly. "I want to try the fish again," she told Yayoi. Now that she'd learned how to build up her chakra, Karumi was almost certain she could handle the basic medical ninjutsu test.

"Now?" Yayoi asked, and Karumi nodded enthusiastically. "How about we wait a couple of hours - give you time to build up your chakra - and then we'll give it a try?"

Karumi considered her suggestion, before nodding again. While she waited, the genin team were brought in to help read through her scrolls, but Karumi only half-listened to them. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing shallow, staying in a state of near-unconsciousness. If she succeeded today, perhaps she would finally catch up to Itachi.


	10. Part II: Chapter 6

Karumi tilted her head from side to side, stretching the stiffness out from her neck. She felt good - revitalised - as she reached for the slimy fish in front of her. All she had to do was stimulate the brain and heart with chakra. She'd done it so many times before. In fact, Karumi almost felt eerily calm.

It seemed like such a simple thing: to let her chakra flow into the small creature's system. So why couldn't she do it before? Karumi shook her head. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened the first time. Despite being unable to see, she was definitely able to _smell_ the fish guts that had covered her hair, face and clothes after accidently ripping that fish to shreds. She could also remember the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as Mikoto had scolded her for becoming so filthy.

Her head was beginning to feel cloudy as a tension headache set in, growing worse with Karumi's heavily focused concentration. She couldn't lose focus now. Earlier that morning, while fighting Shisui, she'd become distracted by a similar pain, allowing him to land more hits. If he'd been serious, she would have been knock out at the very least.

Something slimy slapped her wrist and Karumi reeled back in shock. A collective gasp seemed to sound throughout the room and someone placed their hand on her shoulder, making her jump again.

"Karumi," Yayoi's voice sounded softly. "You might just be the youngest person to ever pass a medical ninja test."

The young girl hardly reacted. Surely they were joking. Her _brother_ , Sousuke Hanakawa, was supposed to be the youngest medical ninja in the clan; only thirteen years old when he'd passed the test.

"I'll notify the Uchiha family," someone said. Still, Karumi didn't move. She couldn't. Did she just steal Sousuke's legacy as the youngest medical ninja? He'd shown so much promise that the clan had allowed him to take the test early, and he'd passed. Karumi had always been told she was too young, but perhaps he'd seen something in her that the adults hadn't. Why else would he teach her about their Kekkei Genkai?

Karumi shook her head. She knew why. It was the same reason Itachi often agreed to teach Sasuke how to use kunai and shuriken. He wanted her to keep her hopes of becoming a medical ninja alive - despite the fact she'd never be as good as him.

"Karumi?" Yayoi's voice sounded again, worried. "Why are you crying?"

The young girl hadn't noticed the hot tears rolling down her cheeks until the woman pointed them out, and she quickly wiped them away.

"I know," Yayoi said. "It's all a little overwhelming, isn't it? Why don't you go home and rest for the afternoon? You did very well today."

All Karumi could do was nod quietly and let one of the other ninja take her home. She stayed quiet, but no one seemed to comment on it; thinking that maybe it was just fatigue. Physical things like fatigue were simple, though, and what Karumi felt was much more complicated: guilt.

XXXXXXX

A soft knock sounded at Karumi's door, but she didn't move from her seat by the window. The door creaked open and Mikoto stepped inside, shutting it quietly behind herself. Something heavy-sounding was placed on the desk in front of Karumi before the sound of her bed creaking meant her adoptive mother had sat down.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "You didn't eat any lunch."

Karumi stayed silent as she shook her head.

Mikoto seemed to realise she wouldn't get anywhere with Karumi for the time being, gently placing her hand on the girl's head instead. "We're very proud of you," she murmured softly. "That box on your desk is from the medical corps. It's all stuff recovered from the Hanakawa clan's village. They want you to have it."

Karumi frowned and turned towards the box as Mikoto left the room. Until now, her family's scrolls had been stored in the medical centre's archives. Perhaps they couldn't decipher anything helpful from them. After all, most of the clan's techniques could only be used with their Kekkei Genkai.

Another small knock sounded at her door and Karumi stood up to answer it herself. As soon as she did something hit her stomach and wrapped around her waist, making her grunt.

"Mother told me you can do medical ninjutsu now!" Sasuke's voice chirped happily as his constricting hug grew tighter. "Congratulations!"

A soft smile settled on Karumi's features and she gently patted his head. Before she could say anything the sound of the front door opening and closing made Sasuke let go of her and run off, calling for his big brother. Karumi's shoulders sank as she made her way back to her desk and sat in her chair.

Moments later something touched her shoulder, and Karumi flinched away from it.

"Sorry," Itachi's quiet voice murmured in apology. "I've heard the news. C-"

"Don't say it," Karumi cut him off. The two stayed in silence for almost a solid minute before she spoke again. "I don't feel like talking to anyone right now. I won't be down for dinner either."

She stood from her chair and made her way to her bed, but Itachi grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "They're worried about you," he told her, and Karumi pursed her lips. Another long silence before she felt herself becoming overwhelmed by her emotions again, turning to face Itachi and wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Itachi stiffened a little before he felt the hot wetness of Karumi's tears drip onto his neck. The young Uchiha stood there uncomfortably, not knowing how to comfort her, and awkwardly patted her on the back.

Karumi paused and laughed quietly as she pulled away from him, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves. She turned away from him again, sitting back down at her desk as she began rummaging through the box Mikoto had left with her, pulling out scrolls and setting them on the table.

Itachi peered over her shoulder in interest before beginning to help her unpack. Once they'd taken out all the scrolls, the young Uchiha noticed some small sheets at the bottom of the box, and reached in to pick them up.

"What's that?" Karumi asked after hearing the sound of the paper in his hand.

"Photographs," Itachi said quietly, staring down at the picture of a younger Karumi in the arms of a boy who had the same white hair and sapphire blue eyes as she did, and seemed only a few years older than Shisui. There were other photos too, with other members of the Hanakawa clan, but most of them showed Karumi and children who were clearly older than her.

Karumi lowered her head. "My family?" she asked, hesitating as she reached out to cup his neck, feeling him nod. Karumi drew her hand back immediately, turning away. "Just leave them on the table. I'll go through it all tomorrow."

Itachi watched as she lay down on her bed, facing the wall, and he took that as his cue to leave. Closing the door behind him, Itachi made his way to the kitchen, where Sasuke was drawing quietly at the table and his mother stood over a bubbling pot as she prepared their dinner, a worried expression on her face.

"Karumi doesn't want any dinner," he told his mother, the sudden sound of his voice making her jump.

Mikoto sighed and placed a lid on the pot, turning to face her son and crouching down so they were face to face. "Itachi, you have the day of from school tomorrow, don't you?" she asked, and the boy nodded. "Take Karumi out for a walk tomorrow. Try to find out what's bothering her. I sometimes think she doesn't think of us as her real family, but I want her to trust us enough to rely on us in times like this."

Itachi nodded again and his mother smiled, patting him on the head.

"Think of it as a solo ninja mission," Mikoto said.

"I wanna come too!" Sasuke cried out, standing up from his place at the table and running up to his older brother.

Itachi was aware, however, that this was a matter that had to be handled delicately. "Sorry, Sasuke, maybe another time," he promised the younger Uchiha, poking the toddler softly in the forehead.

XXXXXXX

The next morning, Itachi knocked on Karumi's bedroom door. "Who is it?" the girl's muffled voice sounded from the other side. Itachi said his name as he opened the door, seeing Karumi lying on top of the covers on her bed, dark circles under her wide eyes as she stared up at the ceiling. Clearly, she hadn't slept.

Itachi approached her and touched her hand, flinching when she did. "Let's go outside," he suggested awkwardly. Karumi's eyes closed and she sighed, pushing herself up off the bed and bumping into Itachi. The young boy quickly grasped her hand and led her outside, slowing down once they were away from the housing section of the Uchiha compound.

"Where are we going?" Karumi asked tiredly as she tried to keep up with him.

The young boy blanked. He hadn't thought of anywhere to go. "The Naka Shrine," he said suddenly as he began leading her in the other direction. As they walked, Itachi kept glancing back at Karumi, trying to find any sort of emotion in her grim expression. Though, it wasn't as if Itachi was any good at reading emotions.

As they climbed the stairs approaching the shrine, Karumi's grip on his arm tightened, and Itachi helped her to sit on the top step before awkwardly perching beside her.

"Why are we here?" Karumi asked, lowering her head again and letting her long white hair fall in front of her face, hiding her expression.

Itachi looked away, unsure of what to say. "I wanted to ask about your family," he said unconvincingly, glancing back at Karumi as the young girl nodded. "The photographs in that box; one of them was of you and your brother. What was he like?"

Karumi closed her eyes and leaned back against her hands. "Talented," she said. "People in the clan talked about him, saying that he was a quick learner, or that he might end up being the best medical ninja in the clan."

The young Uchiha was beginning to understand. From the way she spoke about him, Karumi was clearly proud of her now deceased older brother, Sousuke, and now she felt bad for seemingly stealing his future as a prodigy medic. Itachi could definitely see why that would make her so upset, but he was unsure of what to say in order to comfort her. Before Karumi could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the shrine.

"Oh, hey, Itachi," Shisui smiled up at the pair as he climbed the last few steps. "And Karumi." The older boy seemed to notice Karumi's grim mood and his beaming smile fell.

Itachi watched as Shisui craned his neck, trying to get a look at the young girl's facial expression, before he frowned at Itachi.

Shisui moved to crouch beside the younger Uchiha and murmured quietly into his ear. "Word's travelling fast around the village. I heard she passed the medical ninja test; so what's made her so upset?"

Karumi pursed her lips as she listened to Itachi attempt to briefly explain her situation. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but he wasn't. It was almost pathetic that she felt so guilty for achieving something so amazing. Perhaps this was her way of finally mourning the loss of her family after three years. Before this, she'd been too young to really comprehend what had happened.

"I guess it all just hit me at once," Karumi said quietly, and the two boys' attention was drawn to her. "That I'm the least member of the Hanakawa clan - that I don't have any family left."

"That's not true," Shisui argued softly, and Itachi looked back at him. "Can you honestly say that for the past few years you haven't had any parents whatsoever?"

Shame welled in the pit of Karumi's stomach and she went quiet. The Uchiha clan had been so good to her, and now she was being ungrateful. Even the night before, when Mikoto had tried to talk to her, she'd sulked by herself, ignoring the woman's attempt to console her.

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Shisui said, his warm smile returning. "Besides, if you're looking for an older brother figure, I don't mind stepping in."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Karumi's mouth as she shook her head. "That won't work," she said, lifting her head. "Sousuke was way cooler than you are."

Shisui laughed and tousled her hair as he stood up. "Now that that's settled," he smiled. "Do you two have anywhere to be? I'll take you."

Karumi yawned and rubbed at her eyes sleepily. "Hyuuga residence," she said simply.

The older Uchiha hummed curiously. "Are you sure?" he asked, surveying the dark circles under her slowly drooping eyes. "You look tired."

Huffing, Karumi shook her head. "I'm fine," she said adamantly, leaning against Itachi's shoulder. Shisui stood silently before reaching down and picking the young girl up, earning a tired whine from her.

Itachi watched as Shisui began carrying Karumi down the steps, an annoyed pout on her face. The expression quickly fell, though, as she relaxed and closed her eyes. The younger Uchiha nodded to himself, knowing now that Karumi would most likely be more open with his family, and his mother would worry a little less.


	11. Part II: Chapter 7

The hot midday sun beat down on the three children as they walked through the Hidden Leaf Village. Karumi could hear the buzzing of cicadas and the rustling of the trees as she dozed in Shisui's arms, and she felt her eyes slowly closing. The steady bouncing rhythm of Itachi and Shisui's footsteps kept her from fully falling asleep, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

Karumi was brought out of her half-asleep daze by a loud knock on what sounded like wood. "We're here for - what's his name?" Shisui's voice had started loud but quickly grew hushed.

"Higo Hyuuga," Itachi told him.

"Delivery for Higo Hyuuga!" the older Uchiha called out, adjusting Karumi in his arms. The doors creaked as they opened and a pair of large footsteps approached the trio.

"We thought you weren't coming," Higo's voice sounded jokingly before he noticed Karumi's lethargic, narrow-eyed facial expression. "Is she okay?"

Shisui nodded. "I don't think she slept well last night, but she insisted on coming."

Karumi felt herself being lifted into a higher, stronger pair of arms, and she reached out towards Itachi and Shisui, letting her hand flop in a pathetic wave goodbye as the gates closed.

"Neji's been asking about you all morning," Higo said as he set her down on the house's surrounding veranda, placing something that felt like a cup in her hand. Karumi only nodded quietly, and Higo chuckled quietly. "Still in the mood to train?"

She nodded again, more enthusiastically this time, but the tea cup that was slowly tipping forward with her loosening grip told the man otherwise.

"Did you sort out your chakra problem yet?" Higo asked, knowing full well she'd passed the medical ninja test. A few members of the clan worked in the medical corps, and they'd come home last night with stories of the youngest Leaf Village resident to ever perform medical ninjutsu.

"Meditation," Karumi murmured, the word almost coming out as a slur.

"Why don't you work on that for now," the man suggested, growing silent when he felt Karumi slump against his arm, asleep. Smiling softly, Higo gently lay her down on the wooden flooring of the veranda and stood up, leaving the girl to rest.

As Higo rounded the corner, the branch family's young heir, Neji Hyuuga, spotted him and left his father's side to run up to the man. "Is Karumi here yet?" the boy asked enthusiastically for the upteenth time.

"She's here," Higo smiled as he crouched down, nearing eye level with the small boy. "She's just sleeping now, so we won't disturb her, okay?"

Neji nodded and covered his mouth, seeming to understand that he needed to keep quiet. As Higo moved to stand up properly, Neji ducked past him, rounding the corner and spotting Karumi curled up on the wooden floor. He'd been so looking forward to her arrival since the other day, being unable to interact with children close to his age very often. After all, there weren't many other children in the branch family's compound anyway, even without Neji's constant attachment to his father.

The young Hyuuga sat down beside her and waited, looking up as his father stood beside him. Although Hizashi Hyuuga, like the rest of his family, wasn't exactly fond of the Uchiha clan, he appreciated Karumi's presence. Not only was she someone for his son to play with, but he knew of the importance of the Hanakawa clan's work, and he'd been intrigued when he'd witnessed the Kekkei Genkai in action. The Hyuuga's Gentle Fist was almost perfect for her.

Deciding that his son was safe just to sit on the veranda by himself, Hizashi returned to his meeting with the other clan members, leaving Neji to bring his knees to his chest as he waited for Karumi to wake up. To a young child such as himself, it felt like hours before Karumi began to stir, and her large white eyes slowly opened.

"You're awake," Neji said cheerfully, making Karumi jump at the unexpected noise. The young boy frowned apologetically as he helped her up, standing out of her way when she regained her balance.

Neji looked up as his father and Higo, one of the other Hyuuga clan members, rounded the corner, and the young boy moved to stand by his father's side.

"Father," he asked quietly. "Can I do my daily training with Karumi today?"

Hizashi glanced at Higo, who shook his head slowly, before patting his son on the head. "Sorry, Neji," he apologised. "Karumi's not quite at a level to keep up with you just yet. Perhaps in a few weeks you can try sparring together."

"Lord Hizashi," Higo said quietly. "While sparring is out of the question for the time being, I see no reason why they can't practise stances and forms in the dojo together."

The branch clan's leader paused, considering the proposal as he looked down at his son again. Neji stared back at him with wide, pleading eyes and squeezed his father's hand. The heart-melting action forced Hizashi to nod, and Neji grinned happily, turning to Karumi and gently taking her hand.

Karumi felt herself being pulled and led to a place she'd never been before. She and Higo had always trained outside in the main courtyard, but now she was inside. The air in the room felt cool, and the voices of the others seemed to echo off the walls. Karumi concluded that this was the empty dojo.

As Neji let go of her hand, Karumi shuffled forward, mentally working out the size of the room by marking how long it took her to reach the other side. Higo called her back after she'd done the same with the other two walls, and Karumi followed his voice, softly bumping the man's arm before stopping.

Higo smiled down at her. "Let's start with the stances, okay?"

XXXXXXX

"How was your training today, Karumi?" Mikoto asked as the family ate dinner together.

Karumi nodded as she finished chewing her mouthful of rice. "They let me train with the clan head's son," she told them, making both Mikoto and Fugaku glance at each other in uncertainty. "They said I'm not ready for sparring yet, but I'm improving."

Mikoto smiled. "Well, that's what matters, isn't it? You're hoping to catch up with Itachi eventually, aren't you?" Karumi felt her face flush as she lowered her head and nodded, hiding her sheepish smile. Her adoptive mother continued. "Speaking of which, Itachi, I received a notice in the mail that the Academy was considering having you graduate by the end of this year."

"Graduate?" Fugaku asked incredulously, reaching over and clapping his son on the shoulder. "That's my boy," he said proudly.

Karumi could hear Sasuke take a deep, excited breath through his nose. "Big brother's so cool, isn't he?" he whispered.

The young girl could only nod, though a sense of disappointment with herself welled in the pit of her stomach. She thought she'd at least come close to being as good as Itachi, but she was beginning to see that that was never going to happen.

"Dear, what about Karumi?" Mikoto said softly, and Fugaku grunted in what sounded like realisation.

"Ah, yes, I didn't see you last night, but I'd heard you passed the medical ninja test," her adoptive father said. "That's impressive for someone so young. I'm proud of you too, Karumi."

Karumi's cheeks turned pink again, and she smiled softly, returning to her food. He was right. It was impressive - just as impressive as graduating the Academy within a year. She was proud of herself; and Itachi.

Sasuke sighed dejectedly beside her, and Karumi moved to place her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "You'll beat that, won't you, Sasuke?"

"Yeah!" Sasuke cried, suddenly enthused. "I'll graduate in - in half a year! Big brother, you have to teach me how to make shadow clones too!"

Itachi smiled. "Maybe later," he said lightly.

A small giggle sounded from Sasuke as he leaned against Karumi's side, thanking his mother for the food before standing up and running off. Karumi quickly finished off her meal as well, thanking Mikoto as well before making her way out of the room to find Sasuke. It was quiet outside, and even though the day had been unbearably hot, the cold night wind nipped at her face as it blew through the courtyard. 'Peaceful' was a word she could use to describe the feeling.

"Sasuke went the other way," Itachi's voice sounded from behind her, making Karumi yelp and whip around to face him.

"Please don't do that," she warned, folding her arms over her chest as another gust of cold wind blew past her.

"I'm sorry," Itachi apologised quietly, and Karumi lowered her head, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder. The two of them walked together, with Karumi's hand trailing down the young Uchiha's arm before letting her fingers intertwine with his. Both children's cheeks turned slightly pink, but both of them tried to ignore it.

Karumi quickly let go of Itachi's hand. "If you find Sasuke, tell him to come play inside. It's too cold out here."

With that, Karumi ducked inside, not waiting for Itachi's answer. When she was sure she was out of sight, the young girl pressed her cold fingers against her burning cheeks, shaking her head to herself. Choosing to focus on something else instead, Karumi tried to think about the training she would endure tomorrow, now that she was an official medical ninja.


	12. Part II: Chapter 8

Karumi sighed listlessly as she walked through the village, one hand clasped firmly around Mikoto's, and the other tightly holding on to Sasuke. She knew she should be more excited - after all, today was Itachi's graduation ceremony - but the young girl couldn't help but focus on what the other medical ninja weren't letting her do.

Even though she'd passed their tests, they were still making her study, making her read over her family scrolls with the help of genin. She'd been shown through the hospital only once, but wasn't allowed to touch anyone. What was the point of promoting her if they were just going to have her do the same old things? They'd even given her today off, without any objections.

"Oh, Sasuke, there's your father," Mikoto's voice sounded, and Karumi felt the familiar gravel of the Academy's outer grounds beneath her feet.

Sasuke ran forward towards Fugaku, leaving Karumi with his mother. "Father, where's Itachi?" he asked, grinning as the police chief hoisted his younger son into the air and pointed to Itachi's place in the front row. The small boy giggled and waved, catching the older's attention, and Itachi flashed him a small, encouraging smile.

The older Uchiha then noticed Karumi, staring straight ahead like she always did, though Itachi felt a strange sensation, as though she was watching him intently. He decided to ignore it, though, and turned back to face the Third Hokage, just as the man was congratulating Itachi for being the top of a class he'd only spent a few months attending.

Itachi could feel his family's proud gaze on him, but he couldn't wait for the ceremony to be over. He knew that there were formalities involved in moving up the ranks, but, at the same time, he couldn't understand the point. It wasn't as though he was raring to go on missions with his team, either. Perhaps it was the uncomfortable heat that pressed down on the assembly, or maybe it was something else.

He shook the feeling off, directing his full attention towards the Hokage.

"This ends our graduation ceremony," the man was saying. "You all have twenty minutes to meet with your families before you must report back to the classroom for your team assignments."

Chaos seemed to ensue as parents swarmed their children, hugging them, congratulating them, and Itachi managed to make his way through the crowd towards his own family. His mother hugged him quickly around the shoulders while Sasuke practically dived against his stomach with a waist-cinching squeeze. His father patted him proudly on the back, though when Itachi turned to Karumi, she just stood there.

She could remember her own brother's graduation. Her whole family had been ecstatic, and Sousuke had been even happier. Karumi felt the light brush of Itachi's fingers against her hand and she moved forward, hugging him tightly around the shoulders.

Itachi stiffened, feeling the eyes of his classmates and their families on him, hearing the coos of 'how cute' the hug was. He glanced up at his mother, who smiled down at him encouragingly, clearly just as happy to watch as everyone else.

Karumi pulled away, seemingly not noticing the attention, and smiled at him.

"Itachi," his father beamed proudly, moving forward to place his hand on his son's shoulder, and the boy was thankful for something to distract him from his own awkwardness. "You'd better head off, now. Go meet your new team."

Nodding, Itachi turned away from his family, glancing one more time at Karumi before heading to one of the classrooms.

Karumi's hand balled into a fist as she thought to herself. The medical corps had given her a day off to attend Itachi's graduation, but that didn't mean she had to stop training. Reaching out, Karumi gently tugged on Mikoto's sleeve, and her adoptive mother crouched down to listen.

"I'd like to go to the Hyuuga residence today," Karumi told her quietly, politely.

She could hear the forced smile in the woman's voice. "Of course," Mikoto said. "I'll take you there, okay?"

XXXXXXX

Karumi fell back against the wooden floor of the Hyuuga branch clan's dojo, breathing heavily. She'd been training for almost three hours without a rest break - which had been offered to her several times. She was testing out her tagging ability in combat for the first time, and although she felt faint, she wasn't giving up just yet.

Through flashing images of joint movements and muscles flexing, Karumi watched through her mind's eye as Higo approached her and held out his hand, helping her to her feet. She hopped away immediately, bending her knees into her starting position.

"Again," she panted, trying to ignore the pounding headache she was getting from trying to keep up with what she was 'seeing'.

Higo Hyuuga sighed, knowing there was no getting through to her. He just had to wait until she tired out completely. "Alright," he said, defeated. "If I come at you like this, what do you do?"

He moved, attacking the air, but Karumi could tell he was aiming at an angle where her chest would be. She lept back, strongly crossing her arms over her chest for added protection. This was what they'd been doing. Higo would attack a space of nothing, and Karumi would pretend he was fighting her. It built up her reflexes and ability to 'see' without her getting hurt.

"You're getting better at this," he noted, pausing. "While we're at it, let me show you where the chakra pathways are." With that, Higo activated his own byakugan, watching the girl for reference.

Karumi listened intently as Higo pointed out the places where the majority of chakra pressure points were: mostly surrounding internal organs. She was struggling to concentrate, though; her 'vision' was becoming blurry and static, and she was finding it difficult to stand up properly.

"Maybe that's enough for today," Higo said, catching her as she fell forward. Picking her up, Higo carried Karumi out of the dojo, setting her down on the veranda surrounding the complex.

"Ah! Karumi's here!" a small voice sounded, and Higo turned to see Neji running towards them, his father following behind at a more leisurely pace. "Is she sleeping again? She always does that."

Higo chuckled and smiled politely. "We've been training for hours, so it's natural that she's a little tired."

"Hours?!" Neji cried, offended that no one had told him she'd even arrived. As he ran to her, Higo bowed his head respectfully to Hizashi, the head of the clan.

"How is she progressing?" Hizashi asked, and Higo glanced back over his shoulder at the sleeping girl.

"She's coping much better with her disability than I had ever imagined," he admitted with a smile. "She does, however, have some trouble with keeping her chakra levels up. She runs out of steam easily."

Hizashi nodded in understanding. "You're aware we can't take her under our wing forever," he said solemnly. "Higher members of the main family are beginning to voice their concerns with teaching the Gentle Fist to someone who isn't a member of the Hyuuga clan - especially if she's under the are of the Uchiha."

Higo lowered his head. "I understand, sir."

"Good," Hizashi nodded. "As long as you know not to get too attached." With that, he called for Neji, glancing one more time at Karumi before leaving.

Higo sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face, turning to Karumi. He enjoyed teaching her - just as much as he enjoyed teaching his own team; if not, more. He almost thought of Karumi like his own daughter. Though, Hizashi was right. Something like this couldn't exactly last forever.


	13. Part II: Chapter 9

Karumi followed along the pathway by the lake near the Uchiha residence, listening to Sasuke hum as he walked beside her, holding her hand tightly and swing it back and forth with each step. The two of them were on their way to the Hyuuga residence, with Karumi having not visited since the week before. Itachi had left earlier that morning to train before his mission with his new genin squad - Karumi had missed saying goodbye by almost half an hour. It seemed she hardly talked to him as much as she usually would have since he graduated, but that wasn't his fault. They were both busy.

Sasuke's hand slipped out of her own as he ran forward, and Karumi listened to his footsteps halt. "Big brother's here!" he called back to her.

The young girl frowned as she moved towards the small boy, stopping beside him. "What's he doing, Sasuke?"

"He's with a girl," he giggled, jumping up and down lightly with excitement.

Karumi's frown grew deeper and she crouched down beside him. "Sasuke," she said quietly. "Do you know who she is?"

Sasuke craned his neck to try and get a better look without being noticed by his brother, before returning to Karumi's side. "I don't know her name," he told her with a hushed voice. "But she's wearing the Uchiha crest. I've seen her in the sweets shop."

So she was a member of the clan, but that wasn't enough information; and Karumi couldn't just ask what she looked like. The fact that she was often in Itachi's favourite place, though, was enough for Karumi to believe she and Itachi were close to one another.

"Hey! Itachi!" A masculine voice called suddenly from further down the pathway, and Karumi grabbed Sasuke and indicated to hide. The two of them ducked behind a tree. "Let's go! We'll be late for training!"

Karumi guessed the boy was part of Itachi's new genin team. She listened as they left before letting Sasuke lead her out from behind the tree, ready to continue on their way towards the Hyuuga branch house.

"Oh! Karumi!"

The young girl froze at the familiar voice and she turned around, unable to put a name to the sound.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The sound of footsteps crunching against the dirt, and Karumi could tell the girl was closer. "I'm not sure if you remember me. We've met once before - at The Academy?"

Karumi's brow furrowed. "I-Isami?"

The girl chuckled. "Close," she said encouragingly. "It's Izumi. Izumi Uchiha."

Sasuke tugged on Karumi's hand. "That's the girl who was with Big Brother," he whispered, though he wasn't as surreptitious as he was trying to be. Regardless, Karumi felt the muscles in her face grow tense.

"Were you looking for Itachi? He just left with his teammates." Izumi told them.

Karumi nodded curtly. "We weren't," she said stiffly. "We have to go now."

With a quick 'good-bye', Karumi turned again, leaving Izumi on the pathway, slightly confused. She tried to steady her breathing and slow her heartbeat as she and Sasuke continued to walk, barely noticing her clenching fist until Sasuke began to tug his hand away from the strengthening pressure. Karumi loosened her grip immediately, apologising as they turned onto the path that led up to the Hyuuga residence.

Sasuke had never seen another major clan's house before, but it reminded him somewhat of his own home. A large wooden gate flanked by stony walls stood in front of them, and Sasuke could only just see the ornate roof jutting up from behind the wall.

The boy watched as Karumi stepped forward and knocked loudly. A few moments passed before the gate opened, but the look on the man's face - the man Sasuke knew to be Higo Hyuuga - made the boy uncomfortable.

He, as well as the other clan members Sasuke could see behind him, were dressed traditionally, all in black, all looking as sad as each other. What seemed to be a pained expression flashed across his features as he looked down at the two of them, before squatting to be eye-to-eye with Karumi.

"Look, Karumi," Higo murmured, and Karumi frowned at the tremor in his voice. "Now's not exactly a good time. I - The Hyuuga clan isn't ready for visitors at the moment."

"Karumi?" a small voice sounded from inside the compound, and Sasuke looked out behind Higo again, watching as a boy close to his age ran towards them, his pale eyes as sad as Higo's and fresh white bandages wrapped around his head.

Sasuke watched on in confusion and the jounin's face looked even more pained as the boy hugged Karumi tightly, and the young girl smiled, lifting her hand to pat his head. What Karumi saw, however, made her smile fall instantly.

The same scarring Karumi could see on the other clan members was now freshly formed on Neji's own forehead. He flinched as she touched his bandages, her glare growing hard. "Does it hurt?"

Neji shook his head. "It doesn't hurt," he declared, though Karumi could hear his uncertainty and physically see his pain.

"Why don't you head back inside?" Higo's voice sounded, and Neji's hold on Karumi loosened as he returned to the house.

Karumi folded her arms angrily in front of her chest, ready to demand what was going on, but Higo stopped her.

He eyed Sasuke carefully. "The elders aren't open to outsiders training with us anymore," he told Karumi, and her brow furrowed.

"Why not?" she asked. "Mister Hizashi was fine with it, wasn't he."

Higo winced. "That's the thing, Karumi," he said, and Sasuke could tell he was searching for the right words to use. "Lord Hizashi...isn't around anymore."

Karumi's arms fell limp at her sides as understanding washed over her, her eyes growing wide as she took a few steps back.

"Big Sister?" Sasuke asked quietly, confused as he took her hand in his.

The young girl jumped a little at his touch and pulled him close, lowering her head. "Come on, Sasuke," she murmured. "Let's go to the medical corps today."

Sasuke turned his head to watch Higo's sad expression as he felt himself being pulled away from the Hyuuga clan's gate. He moved his gaze up to Karumi's teary eyes, unable to comprehend why everyone was so upset.

XXXXXXX

"The genin team have arrived, Karumi," one of the medical ninja called from the door to Karumi's new office space, before addressing the others in a more hushed tone. "It's all simple things. You're just helping her read whatever she asks you to. Oh, and please be careful. She wasn't quite herself when she came in this afternoon."

The calming thuds of Sasuke's feet hitting the desk as he swung his legs back and forth ceased as he watched the squad enter the room; and his face lit up. "Big brother!" he said cheerfully as he hopped off the desk, and Karumi lifted her head.

She could hear the footsteps of the genin team as they approached her desk along with Sasuke's giggling as he clung to his brother.

"Hello," an older man's voice greeted her, and Karumi presumed him to be their jonin leader. "My name's Yuuki Minazuki. These are Shinko Inari and Tenma Izumo; and it seems as though you already know Itachi Uchiha."

Karumi nodded as two quiet voices greeted her - one of them being the unknown masculine voice from the bank of the lake earlier that morning - and tilted her head towards where Sasuke could be heard, assuming Itachi was there as well. Admittedly, she was still bitter towards the fact that he'd spent time with Izumi when he said he'd be training, but she could move past that.

Feeling around her desk, Karumi grabbed one of her scrolls and held it out, letting it be taken. "These are documents from my clan," she explained, trying to keep her tone as professional as a seven year old could. "I'd like to learn everything I can from them."

She listened as the team sat around a spare table, and the girl, Shinko, began to read the Hanakawa scrolls aloud. While she listened, Karumi ran her hand along her bookcase, picking out books she wanted to know the contents of and stacking them on the table, eventually accumulating a tall, albeit sturdy, tower of information.

The older boy, Tenma, groaned. "We have to read all of this?"

Itachi watched as Karumi shook her head, and Sasuke clambered into his lap. "I want to help too!" he declared.

"Sasuke," Itachi warned gently. "You can't read."

The younger Uchiha sighed dejectedly but stayed quiet, and Itachi continued to stare as Karumi collected books from the shelves.

"Oh," Shinko said, clearly having read ahead. "This mentions Tsunade Senju. Wasn't she trained by the third Hokage? She's an amazing medical ninja, from what I've heard."

"Read it," Karumi said, bracing herself against the table and leaning forward in interest.

Shinko cleared her throat. " _The Creation Rebirth technique,_ " she read. " _Attributed to Tsunade Senju, the Creation Rebirth technique is only permitted to be used by those in the Hanakawa clan who have been selected by the clan elders. It involves a mass storing of chakra, which can be used for highly advanced techniques._ "

Karumi's hands balled into fists as she listened intenty. "Does it say how to do it?" she asked, and Shinko made an uncertain noise as she quickly read ahead, growing silent. "You don't have to read it all; just sum it up."

"Um..." Shinko trailed off. "Basically, you continuously store chakra to one spot in your body for three whole years. A huge amount of chakra control is required to do it, and things like surgery or battle aren't recommended - seeing as it uses up so much of your chakra reserve."

The young girl sighed and shook her head. If she wasn't able to perform medical ninjutsu, she wasn't interested in this Creation Rebirth technique. For now, at least, Karumi wanted to learn everything she would need to know about medicine; so that when she was finally allowed to work in the hospital, she would be prepared.

As Karumi returned to collecting mor books, she brushed past Itachi. "I thought you'd be helping out at the hospital by now," he said, making Karumi pause.

"Technically, I'm ready to do that," she murmured. "But the others say that patients would be uncomfortable being treated by a little girl."

Itachi felt Karumi's palm press against the side of his neck as he nodded, and watched as she sat down, listening as her scrolls and books continued to be read to her. Occasionally, a small glow of green chakra would appear around her hands, and Itachi realised she was practising her medical ninjutsu, though he could tell she was frustrated at having nothing to practise on.

Karumi's frustration, however, was also her driving force. She was going to be good. She was going to use her opportunities to study and learn more about medical ninjutsu than even her adult colleagues knew. She was going to be like her brother - surpass him, even. One thing Karumi knew she had to do, however, was catch up to Itachi.


	14. Part III: Chapter 1

Karumi brushed her hair out of her face as she hastened down the main corridor of the Leaf Village hospital's intensive care unit, her heart racing with worry. When she'd heard of the ANBU unit that had been attacked, all she could picture was Itachi lying on one of the beds, groaning in pain as several medical ninja attempted to heal him.

Relief washed over her when she realised the older Uchiha brother was nowhere to be seen or heard, though the feeling was brief.

Standing back, Karumi let the proper doctors do their work, seething silently as she always did. For five years, Karumi had been studying under the guidance of the top medical ninja in the village, but due to her lack of a rank, she'd been unable to work, only being allowed to observe instead; and that irritated her, to say the least.

Itachi, on the other hand, had risen through the ranks, becoming a part of the Hokage's personal force. He'd been sent on missions left and right, and Karumi barely saw him anymore, not to mention the fact that she'd also been cooped up inside her small study for days on end.

Karumi must have gone through every book and scroll in there dozens of times over the years, and she wanted to know more. Local medicines and specialised healing techniques were one thing, but Karumi had better ways to use the time she'd spend when left to her own devices.

By the time she was ten, Karumi had worked out she wouldn't be allowed to practise medical ninjutsu in the same way the others did. Instead, she went back through her clan's old scrolls, looking for anything she could do to pass the time, having no one to spar with now that she was prohibited from learning taijutsu from the Hyuuga clan.

As a seven, eight and nine-year-old, Karumi had forgotten all about the Creation Rebirth technique, knowing it was pointless to waste chakra when she barely had any control over it to begin with. Now, with nothing to do but meditate for the past few years, Karumi had built up quite the aptitude for chakra control, and was currently in her thirtieth month of chakra build-up in her quest to be able to use the Creation Rebirth technique - though, admittedly, she still wasn't quite sure what it did.

Standing out of the way, Karumi turned her attention from the other doctors to her steadily growing chakra reserve, focusing on the continuous stream she had running towards the singular point in the middle of her chest. After all, she knew exactly what was wrong with the patient, what procedures the others were following, and what to do in case something went wrong. In fact, Karumi didn't see the point in having her follow doctors around all day at all - especially if she wasn't permitted to help them.

Six more months. That was all she needed before she'd possess the same abilities as Tsunade, the most skilled medical ninja in the world, as well as the top-ranked ninja in the Hanakawa clan - whatever those abilities were. Even if she wasn't a genin, Karumi believed she could still somehow prove herself with this new ability.

"Karumi," one of the medic she was following suddenly spoke to her. "It's kind of a slow day today. Why don't you go home for the afternoo?."

Nodding, Karumi left the hospital wing as quickly as she could. Everyone, Karumi included, knew she was just in the way when it came to her placement at the Leaf Village's hospital. Perhaps tomorrow she just wouldn't turn up.

After four years of going to and from the hospital, Karumi didn't need anyone to hold her hand and guide her home. She could do it herself. Naturally, the local shop owners and patrons often helped her if she ever began to drift off course, but that hadn't happened in a while, and people were beginning to stop worrying about her.

As she arrived back at the Uchiha complex, Karumi began to count the slabs of stone that made up the main pathway until she reached her house, bracing herself as she opened the door.

Something heavy thumped against her middle and two arms wrapped around her waist, squeezing her tightly. Karumi grunted a little but lifted her hand to touch the younger Uchiha's wild hair.

"You're still coming tomorrow, right?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head to look up at her and resting his chin against her stomach.

"Of course," Karumi said, forcing herself to smile and mentally kicking herself for forgetting about Sasuke's entrance ceremony. At the very least, she wouldn't have to follow doctors around like a lost puppy for at least another day.

As Karumi moved to close the door behind herself, something stopped her. A soft gasp sounded from Sasuke as he let her go, moving towards whatever was blocking the door. "Big brother!" he said cheerfully.

Karumi paused, her brow furrowing. Itachi wasn't supposed to be home from his mission for another few days. Surely he couldn't have finished already. Stepping inside, Karumi turned until she was facing Itachi, the confused expression still on her face.

Itachi found himself averting his gaze away from Karumi's blank stare. His mission had been easier and over quicker than everyone else had anticipated, but that wouldn't change the fact that people had died during it. Knowing Karumi, she'd probably manage to pry that kind of information out of him too.

Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't seem to care what Itachi had been doing, just as long as he was back home. The younger Uchiha giggled as he followed his brother inside, down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"I'm home," Itachi muttered, earning a somewhat relieved smile from his mother.

Out of the corner of his eye, Itachi spotted Karumi as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression skeptical. Looking away, Itachi instead turned his attention to Sasuke, who clung tightly to his leg.

"Are you coming to my entrance ceremony tomorrow?" he asked, his eyes wide as he hugged Itachi even tighter.

The older Uchiha frowned. He hadn't forgotten about the ceremony, but Itachi was scheduled to work in the surveillance headquarters that morning, and wouldn't have time to attend. "Sorry, Sasuke," Itachi murmured, poking his younger brother in the forehead and trying to ignore his disappointed expression. "I'll come another time, okay?"

Sasuke stared at the floor, slowly letting go of Itachi's leg and moving to stand beside Karumi, leaning against her. "There won't be another time," he mumbled, clenching a fist around her t-shirt.

Karumi's blank expression remained as she gently patted Sasuke's hair. "I'm still coming though, right?" she asked, leaning down to place a soft kiss on Sasuke's head - right where Itachi had poked him. "And from what I heard, so is your father."

The younger Uchiha seemed to brighten up at that and he nodded enthusiastically, running ask his mother what they were having for dinner. Karumi tilted her head in Itachi's direction.

"Are you busy right now?" she said, taking a step towards him.

As much as Itachi wanted to lie and say he was tired from his mission, but he knew a simple touch of his hand would tell Karumi that that wasn't true. Instead he waited until her fingers brushed against his neck before shaking his head.

"Come for a walk with me?"

"To the Naka Shrine?" Itachi asked, though he already knew the answer. It was the same place they went anytime Karumi wanted to talk privately with him.

Karumi nodded and gently clasped her hand around his arm, letting him lead her outside without so much as a word to anyone else. As the two of them made their way through the Uchiha compound, Karumi slowly slid her hand down his arm to place her fingers against his bare wrist.

"Your blood pressure is higher than usual." she observed. "Did something happen ?"

Itachi stayed silent, glancing down at her as she smiled softly.

"Your increased heart rate says 'yes'," she said, before her expression dropped into a frown. "It usually takes a lot to shake you like that. Did someone die?"

"Are you sure you're not better suited to interrogation rather than medicine?" Itachi murmured.

"Don't avoid the question," Karumi stated, her voice growing monotonous with increasing focus. "The first letter in ANBU stands for 'assassination'; was that your mission?"

The older Uchiha sighed, knowing there was no point in not telling her. "Most of my missions are like that."

Karumi's frown grew heavier. "Did you fail the mission?" she asked, worried. The only reason a mission like that would be implemented in the first place was if the target posed a threat to the village's safety. Itachi was definitely the kind of person who would beat themselves up if they failed something like that.

"No, we didn't fail," Itachi assured her, relaxing a little when Karumi finally let go of him.

"We?" she repeated, grasping her own hand. "Was it a comrade? Did another one of the ANBU...pass away?"

Itachi nodded, though he knew she couldn't see it. "There's a service being held for her tomorrow."

Karumi gently touched her fingers to her mouth in shock, before clenching her hands into fists. "You blame yourself, don't you?" she asked, though Itachi stayed silent.

As the pair reached the steps to the shrine, Karumi stopped, making Itachi pause beside her. In all honesty, there was nothing she could say to make him change his mind. Karumi had met with enough people in similar situations during her visits to the hospital to know that simply telling him it wasn't his fault wouldn't change anything.

She dropped his hand and began to climb the steps to the shrine herself, leaving Itachi to stand by himself.

Sighing, the young man hurried to catch up with her. He'd seen her trip and fall on these exact steps too many times to not be worried when she attempted to climb them herself, though he stayed walking behind her, ready to catch her should she fall.

"Do you like this village, Itachi?" Karumi suddenly asked, turning to face where she was pretty sure he was standing.

Itachi tilted his head to the side, curious, before shuffling a couple of feet to the side to stand in her 'view'. "Yes," he answered quietly.

"Why?" Karumi asked, sitting down on the steps.

"'Why'?" Itachi repeated, sitting beside her.

She'd never asked anything like this before in the several years they'd known each other, and Itachi couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong.

"My family is here," he answered. "Protecting the village means protecting them."

Karumi nodded slowly. "It occurred to me recently," she murmured. "That I've been living here for seven years, but I've never spent more than a few hours away from the Uchiha complex, and I've never been passed the hospital."

Itachi paused for a moment, thinking. It made sense, really. Karumi didn't go anywhere she wasn't familiar with without an escort, and, lately, there weren't as many people around to help her out. "I'm sure Sasuke would be happy to take you around when he's not at the Academy."

"That's not what I meant," Karumi groaned. "The people in this village took me in; they saved my life. What am I doing to repay everyone? I'm following nurses around a building and standing in the corner so I don't get in the way."

She fell silent as the air grew tense, and Itachi nodded slowly. "So you want to be able to go on missions?" he guessed.

Karumi sighed. "I don't know," she murmured. "Something like that."

"But that's -"

"Impossible," Karumi cut him off. "I know."

The two were silent again, before Itachi stood up, helping Karumi back down the shrine steps. "We're both exhausted," he said honestly. "It's getting dark. We should head back home."

"Is it?" Karumi asked dryly, but obediently followed. "I wouldn't know."


	15. Part III: Chapter 2

The warm sun felt oddly unpleasant as Karumi stood between her two adoptive parents, listening to the Hokage as he finished his speech. Karumi wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there in the grounds of the Academy, pretending to know what was happening, but her legs were growing tired, as she was finding it increasingly difficult to pay attention.

As a round of applause began, Karumi found herself cluelessly clapping along, still somewhat unsure as to what exactly she was clapping for. Karumi had never attended her own grade's entrance ceremony, after all, having only tagged along with Itachi on his first day.

Not that that had done her much good.

"Well, I suppose I'll be heading back to the house," Makoto breathed, making Karumi jump a little. She hadn't even realised the ceremony had finished.

"Karumi," Fugaku addressed her. "What will you do?"

Karumi paused. "I'll be at the medical corps," she said finally. There wasn't much else for her to do at home, and her presence at the hospital would only serve as a nuisance to the other doctors.

"Do you need me to take you there, Dear?" Makoto asked, her kind smile evident in her voice.

The young girl shook her head. She had a rough map of the village in her mind, knowing what stores sat next to each other, what smells came from which restaurants, and how many steps she had to take to get from one street to another.

Besides, even if she did become lost, at least she'd be occupied.

Karumi was meticulous, however, and soon found herself walking through the medical corps doors, making her way up to her private study room, just as she would any other day.

What Karumi wasn't expecting was the man sitting at her desk, already waiting for her.

"Good morning, Karumi," he greeted, making her leap back in shock, letting out a small yelp as she did so.

The man stood suddenly, clearly flustered.

"I'm so sorry," he said quickly. "I thought they would have told you I was waiting for you."

Karumi frowned as she pressed her hand against her chest, feeling her heart still pounding in her chest. If she'd been paying more attention she might not have been so scared. "Did you need to see me?"

"You might not remember me," the man said slowly. "But I'm a teacher at the Academy. You were in my class for a day."

The young girl raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be looking after the new students then?" she asked, making her way to the collection of various books and scrolls.

The man chuckled nervously. "I can't look after the new students before I've finished taking care of my old students."

Karumi paused. "I left the Academy," she murmured. "I don't even think I was enrolled in the first place."

"The Hokage thinks it would be best if you had the title of ninja," he replied. "He believes it vital to the village if a member of the Hanakawa clan could practise medical ninjutsu - officially."

A warm feeling bubbled in the pit of Karumi's stomach, and she swallowed heavily. "I'd be able to practice medical ninjutsu?" she repeated.

"Of course," the man affirmed. "The only issue is the fact that you haven't learned the basic techniques at all - which is why I'm -"

"But I have!" Karumi interrupted, her heart pounding in her chest. "I've been cooped up in this study for years, learning everything from the books..."

She fell quiet, lowering her head.

"I've just never had any of the practical experience."

The room was quiet, the air thick with tension as her former teacher seemed to consider her words. "The graduation test for your class was the transformation jutsu," he explained. "Do you know it?"

Karumi nodded. "You use your chakra kind of like a cloak to make you look like someone else, right?"

"In a way," the man muttered. "Because of your...condition, however, I've been asked to test you on something else."

"That won't be necessary," Karumi said quickly, taking a deep breath. "I'd like to try it."

She knew what this looked like to her teacher: a blind girl trying to perform a technique that relied on her ability to view tiny details in a person's features; and to Haru Ooda, a man who just wanted to get back to the Academy so he could start teaching his new class, it was exactly that.

"Well," he said slowly, pursing his lips. "Why don't you try transforming into me?"

Karumi nodded slowly, reaching out her hand to gently touch his.

Now she had a general idea of how the man looked - though most of the details were still missing. She could 'see' that his left shoulder sat lower than his right due to a previous injury, and she could 'see' that he preferred the shift most of his weight to his right leg. Karumi also noted violet eyes and some scar tissue across his mouth, before she gingerly placed her hands together, creating the appropriate hand sign.

"Some of the details might be off," she warned him quietly.

"I'm prepared to overlook that," Haru assured her, eager to see what she could come up with.

As the smoke began to dissipate, Haru's breath hitched in his throat at a sight that was truly terrifying. The creature that stood before him could hardly be called human, yet it bared an uncanny resemblance to him - like an unfinished statue.

His own violet eyes blinked back at him, yet seemed to stare right through him. His height and build were exactly correct, and the girl had even included the scar that slashed across his mouth, which Haru often hid. What disturbed the man was the lack of any distinguishing colour or hair, his copy a bald, pure white, half-dressed version of himself.

The again, he had to give the girl credit. For not being able to see, she'd done an impressive job of replicating his likeness.

"Is this how you see people?" Haru asked, tilting his head to the side, becoming simultaneously more intrigued and more creeped out by the monstrosity the longer he stared at it.

"No," Karumi admitted, releasing the jutsu and returning to her own form. "But I assumed you have skin."

Haru laughed. "You're right," he managed, digging through his pockets. "I hadn't expected you to be so accurate. Actually, I'm not sure what I expected."

Karumi felt fabric touch her hand, and she gently gripped whatever the man had handed her, feeling its weight, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She knew what this was. Itachi had let her hold his the day he's received it: a leaf ninja headband.

"All things considered, however," he continued. "Karumi Hanakawa, I'd like to congratulate you on passing the Academy's practical exam. You will be assigned to a squad, where you will now be able to undertake missions."

"A squad?" Karumi repeated, her sudden excitement slowly deflating. "I thought this was to let me practise medical ninjutsu."

"It was," Haru promised her. "But, as a genin, you need to be part of a three-man team and you need to be supervised by a jonin. For now, your medical training may have to be sidelined."

A sigh left Karumi's lips as she clenched the headband tighter in her hand. Obviously, she still had a long way to go, but as she tied the headband around her eyes, imitating a blindfold, Karumi assured herself that, regardless of how small it was, a step was still a step.


	16. Part III: Chapter 3

Karumi tightened her leaf headband around her face, making sure it wouldn't fall away from her eyes. Though she would never admit it, she was secretly very proud of the fact that she'd managed to pass the genin test, having enjoyed all the attention Sasuke had given her over dinner the night before.

A soft knock sounded at her door, and Karumi quickly moved to open it.

"Good morning, Dear!" Makoto's voice sounded cheerfully, making Karumi stand up straighter.

"Good morning," she answered quietly.

"I meant to give this to you last night," Makoto explained. "But with Sasuke so excited, I figured I shouldn't interrupt.

Karumi held out her hands as Makoto gently handed over her gift. "Clothes?" she asked, feeling the large bundle of fabric.

"That's right," Makoto answered, and Karumi pictured her nodding. "I made a few alterations to Itachi's old clothes for you. I hope you like them."

A small smile lifted the corners of Karumi's mouth as she ran her hand over the fabric, though it faltered ever so slightly. Where she knew the Uchiha family crest should be, something else was stitched: three pointed ovals intersected by two small diamonds, creating a silhouette of a lotus flower. Karumi knew the symbol all too well.

"The Hanakawa family crest," she breathed, feeling her heart race as tears welled up in her eyes, wetting the fabric of her headband. "Thank you so much."

Mikoto's arms wrapped around her trembling shoulders, squeezing her tightly. "It's not a problem," she assured her. "How about you put one on, then come down and have some breakfast."

Karumi nodded, moving to place the stack of t-shirts on the end of her bed, before taking the top on and pulling it on over her head. She imagined how her family crest looked, sitting proudly on her back, and giggled excitedly to herself as she buried her face in the high-necked collar of the shirt she wore.

As Karumi practically skipped down to breakfast, she could hardly keep the smile off her face. Sitting beside Sasuke, she quickly began eating, all her anticipation building up a rather large appetite.

"Itachi," Makoto spoke from in front of the stove. "Do you think you have time to walk Karumi to the training grounds to meet her new team? She's never been there before."

Itachi sighed from across the table. "Yes, Mother," her murmured, making Karumi purse her lips. Clearly he'd woken up in a bad mood that morning.

The two of them left an hour later, walking through the Uchiha complex in silence.

"Is everything okay?" Karumi asked as they reached the threshold between the clan's residence and the rest of the village, gently touching Itachi's hand, though he quickly pulled his hand away.

"Everything's fine."

"Is it another mission?" she asked, moving to grab his hand again.

Again, Itachi pulled away. "No," he murmured, making Karumi frown.

"Don't think I didn't notice how weird you were acting this morning," she huffed. "And you know that I always find things out eventually."

Itachi stayed quiet, and Karumi pushed further.

"Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?" she pressed.

"No," Itachi repeated, ignoring Karumi's deepening frown.

"If I asked Izumi that, would she say the same thing?" she asked, reaching for Itachi's hand again.

"Just drop it, Karumi!" Itachi snapped, easily dodging her hand, making the young girl flinch.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Karumi clenched her fist, pursing her lips. In all the years she'd known Itachi, he'd never yelled at her like that. Perhaps his role as a member of the ANBU was putting more pressure on him than she'd thought.

"Sorry," he murmured after a few minutes of quiet.

Karumi shook her head. "I shouldn't have pushed you," she muttered, her eyes narrowing. "But you shouldn't be so snappy either. We're friends, aren't we? Shouldn't we be telling each other everything?"

Another silence hung heavily in the air, making Karumi huff.

"Fine," she breathed. "If you're going to be stubborn, then so will I."

As soon as she'd said it, Karumi regretted it, but she barely had time to apologise before Itachi had vanished, leaving Karumi by herself. She could hear voices not so far away, and Karumi slowly shuffled along, following the sounds, careful not to trip over any debris.

"I'm telling you, it's a guy!" a young voice sounded, and Karumi determined that whoever had spoken was small in stature.

"All the other three-man squads had a girl," another voice argued, sounding deeper, and somewhat raspy.

"Excuse me?" Karumi called out, stopping in her place, making the two boys fall silent. "Are you guys...my genin team?"

A pregnant pause hung in the air, before the second voice chuckled. "I told you they'd be a girl."

"Shut up," the first muttered, shoving his comrade.

Karumi grinned and carefully began jogging towards them, holding out her hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said cheerfully. "I'm Karumi Hanakawa."

"I'm Chomaru Akimichi," the second voice introduced himself, taking her hand. "That's Jin Nohara."

Before he could pull his hand away, Karumi gripped Chomaru tightly, trying to memorise every detail of what he looked like. To say the young man was large would be an understatement. Not only was Chomaru very tall for his age, but several fat deposits surrounded what appeared to be well-worked muscles. Karumi imagined he'd be talented at weightlifting.

The other boy, Jin, cleared his throat awkwardly, and Karumi quickly pulled her hand away.

"Sorry," she said, smiling nervously. "My eyes don't really work, so I have to see people through touch."

"Interesting," Jin murmured, and Karumi thought she could hear a smirk in his voice. "What can you tell about me?"

Karumi felt her smile slowly gain confidence as she held out her hand again, letting the second boy take it. "Let's see," she breathed. "You don't work out as much as you should, and if you're not already wearing glasses, you really need to get your eyes checked."

Chomaru laughed loudly. "She's right on the money, Jin."

"Hm," Jin huffed, pulling his hand away, and Karumi heard the soft click as he pushed what she assumed were thick glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "It's impressive, I'll give you that; but what are your skills in combat?"

"Combat?" Karumi repeated.

She paused, thinking.

"I know medical ninjutsu," she offered. "And I've trained privately in taijutsu."

"Well, I guess that's something," Jin muttered.

Before he could continue, a strong gust of wind blew past the trio, and Karumi felt her hair whip wildly across her face.

"Oh, Sensei's here," Chomaru stated lightly, and Karumi lifted her head.

"Sensei?" She asked.

"Hinayuri-sensei is our jonin leader," Jin explained, adjusting his glasses again.

The sound of footsteps had the group falling quiet. "Hey," an older masculine voice greeted them. "You must be Karumi, right? I'm Hinayuri Yuino. It's nice to meet you."

Karumi smiled and held out her hand, shaking the man's hand, tagging him. If he was going to be their instructor, Karumi thought. She'd need to keep an eye on him.

"Today," Hinayuri began. "I'm going to test your abilities; see how well you guys would do in real conflict."

The sound of two small bells rung through Karumi's ears.

"The test is to get a bell off of me," he continued. "That's it."

"Uh, Sensei?" Jin muttered. "Did you forget to bring a bell for the girl?"

"Nope," the older man said, and Karumi frowned, wishing she had the ability to glare at Jin. "The person who doesn't get a bell by the end of the time limit gets sent back to the Academy. This test is designed so that there will be one loser."

Karumi's hands balled into fists. She knew she'd be at a disadvantage, but that didn't mean she wouldn't at least try.

"If none of you manage to retrieve a bell, you'll all be sent back to the Academy. So, is everyone ready?" Hinayuri asked, and Karumi braced herself, positioning herself in the stance she'd learned during her time with the Hyuuga clan. "You have until noon. Start!"

Before she could react, Karumi felt herself being hooked around the waist and pulled with immense force away from Hinayuri-sensei. Karumi squeaked, but a hand quickly covered her mouth.

"Sorry," Chomaru whispered. "It didn't sound like you had much experience in the field, so I wasn't sure if you knew where to hide."

Karumi let out a relieved breath as his large hand moved away from her mouth. "Where's Hinayuri-sensei?" she asked.

The bush they were hiding in rustled as Chomaru peered out into the clearing. "He's just standing there, out in the open," he muttered. "That goes against everything we've been taught."

Something wasn't right. Karumi could still 'see' Hinayuri, and, judging by the angle of his muscles and pressure on his joints, the man definitely wasn't 'just standing there'.

"It's not him," Karumi concluded, keeping her voice a low whisper.

"Huh?" Chomaru said, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Whoever the Hinayuri you can see is, it's not really him."

Chomaru paused, considering her words. "It's probably a clone or something," he agreed. "That's great, Karumi."

A small spot of pride welled in Karumi's chest, though a loud yelling sound quickly snapped Karumi out of her happiness. "What's that?"

"Jin's just gone for a frontal attack," Chomaru sighed, and Karumi got the feeling that stealth wasn't exactly Jin's strong suit. "Can you tell where Sensei is?"

Karumi's eyes narrowed as she tried to concentrate. "He's...crouching... somewhere." She lifted her hand and curled it as if she were holding onto something, mimicking what she could 'see' Hinayuri doing. "He looks like this."

"Looks like he's stabilising himself somehow," Chomaru muttered. He clicked his fingers, an idea suddenly sparking in his mind. "He's in a tree!" he exclaimed, though his voice was still a hushed whisper.

"A tree?" Karumi murmured. "How do you know?"

Chomaru nodded. "Think about it," he said, his excitement showing in the tone of his voice. "He's crouching on a branch, and holding onto another branch to stabilise himself: he's in a tree!"

Karumi pursed her lips and nodded. It made sense. The more she imagined it, the more she felt as though Chomaru was right. "How do we know which tree he's in?" she asked.

"That doesn't matter," Chomaru said, falling quiet for a moment. "Partial expansion jutsu!"

A strong gust of wind whipped past Karumi's face as the deafening sound of several tree trunks cracking and falling to the ground invaded her ears.

"There he is," Chomaru murmured before turning to Karumi. "What should we do?"

Karumi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She could feel one of her fainting spells coming on, which would surely put her out of commission for at least a couple of hours. "Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly. I'm not going to be able to help find him like that again."

Silence fell between the pair, before Chomaru finally spoke up. "How do you feel about being thrown?"

"Huh?"

Before Karumi could even comprehend the question Chomaru picked her up, and Karumi felt herself being launched through the air, the wind speeding past her face before she collided with Hinayuri, sending him to the ground.

When she had trained with the Hyuuga clan years ago, Karumi had often been accused of being sloppy, though her lack of a pattern rendered any hope her opponent had of predicting her next movements useless. She jabbed him in the liver, adding a little spurt of chakra to imitate the Hyuuga clan's Gentle Fist technique. His shoulders were next, momentarily paralyzing his arms.

"Karumi!" Chomaru's voice sounded as he ran toward her, making the young girl pause, ready to strike Hinayuri again.

As far as Karumi was concerned, that was all she needed to do. Fumbling for the bells attached to her opponent's hip, Karumi tore at them rolling off the man and throwing one in Chomaru's direction. Her vision of her teacher's body began to fade as her body flopped against the dirt, though her hand still clutched the bell she'd earned.

XXXXXXX

Karumi's eyes fluttered open, and once again, she couldn't see anything. Her tag on her teacher had faded, just like always, and Karumi gingerly pushed herself up, her body practically screaming with every movement. Perhaps she should have trained more physically before joining her team; though, being used as a projectile probably didn't help.

"Sensei!" Jin's voice called from beside her, making Karumi jump. She hadn't realised anyone was with her. "She's awake!"

"You okay, Karumi?" Hinayuri asked. "You gave us quite the scare when you passed out like that. Jin thought you were dead."

"I did not!"

Karumi shook her head slowly. "I'm fine," she muttered. "That just happens sometimes."

A short silence hung between her teammates as Karumi sat up, the subtle ring of the small bell sounding as she moved her hand. She blinked, holding the bell up and letting it jingle again.

"Does this mean I win?" she asked, earning herself a laugh from Hinayuri.

"Yeah," he said. "You and Chomaru managed to get a bell from me, so you guys get to stay."

He paused.

"Unfortunately for you, Jin," Hinayuri continued. "That means you'll be going back to the Academy. Sorry."

More silence filled the air as Karumi felt her heart sink. She didn't know Jin at all, but the thought that he'd been working just as hard as she had, only to be sent back just seemed so unfair. She'd only spent a day at the Academy, so there was no way Karumi could know what he was feeling. She could, however, picture what it would be like to be forced back into her study room at the medical corps after everything she'd been through, and the very idea was humiliating.

"Wait," Chomaru murmured, holding out his bell. "Jin can have mine. He had better scores in the Academy's tests than I did, after all."

Jin sighed. "It's fine, Chomaru, I don't -"

"No," Karumi interjected. "He can have my bell."

She held out he bell as well, an awkward silence settling between the group.

"I didn't attend the Academy," Karumi continued. "I can't be sent back to a place I never was. I'll just have to find a different way to become a ninja."

She knew he'd have worked just as hard as she had to get where he was, and, although he didn't manage to retrieve a bell, Karumi couldn't help but admire the fact the Jin had stood up against a jonin leader head on - even if it was a stupid decision. At least, if Karumi returned to the medical corps of her own volition, she'd feel proud of herself for having tried, and no one would have to feel bad for being told they weren't allowed to succeed. She held out her bell even further, stubbornly refusing to move until she felt Jin taking it from her hand.

"Thanks, guys," he mumbled. "But I don't think that's how it works."

"Actually," HInayuri spoke up. "That's exactly how it works."

"Huh?!" Karumi, along with her other two teammates exclaimed.

Their teacher chuckled lightly. "This wasn't actually a combat test," he explained. "It was a test to see how well you guys work together as a team. Honestly, if we were going all out in a real fight, I probably would have killed all three of you."

He laughed again, though he was met with silence as the thought of such a laid back yet formidable opponent sent chills down the team's spines.

"Karumi and Chomaru managed to retrieve their own bells by working together," Hinayuri continued. "And their offers to sacrifice their places on the team for you, Jin, proves to me that they're willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to look out for you. That's what I call teamwork."

Karumi grinned. "Keep that bell, Jin," she said, pushing herself up off the ground, swaying a little with fatigue but quickly shaking it off. "It's a present - from me."

Jin nodded, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't see him as an awkward silence settled on the group.

"Well, now that that's done," Hinayuri chirped. "How about I buy everyone lunch?"


	17. Part III: Chapter 4

Itachi sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, blinking several times in the hope of removing the tiredness from his body. He hadn't been sleeping very well over the past few days - and for good reason. To say he was stressed was an understatement, but he couldn't let his work bother him.

Even now, the only reason he sat, poised, on the roof of the Jonin Standby Station was in the hope of clearing his clouded mind with some fresh air. The ANBU were tough, sure, and Itachi knew what he was in for when he joined. Really, he should just be thankful for the opportunity to protect his village.

Most of Itachi's free time between missions was spent keeping an eye on Sasuke during his lessons and Karumi during her own missions. He was worried about her, after all. Even if she was only carrying out D-rank tasks, Itachi knew Karumi would struggle. That being said, he was pleasantly surprised at the progress she was making.

He and Karumi hadn't really talked since her first day as a genin, and it was eating Itachi up inside. He was almost certain Karumi felt the same way, judging by the sour expression on her face every time they ate dinner together as a family. Itachi knew he was partly to blame - Karumi's nosiness could often get the better of her - but her pushiness and stubbornness had just made him snap.

The bell of the Academy chimed, signifying the end of the school day, and Itachi leapt to the ground, moving towards the Academy. Usually, on his days off, Itachi would pick Sasuke up from school, but the sight of Karumi, sitting on the swing that hung from a nearby tree, already waiting, had Itachi stopping in his tracks.

She lifted her head a little, as if sensing if someone was there, and Itachi tried his hardest not to make another sound. He didn't want things to feel even more awkward than they already did, but hiding from a blind girl only sounded simple until one factored in the excitable young child running toward her.

"Big sister!" Sasuke cheered as he left the Academy's entrance. "You came!"

"I said I would, didn't I?" Karumi laughed, stumbling a little as Sasuke crushed her in an excited hug.

"And big brother came too!"

Itachi didn't have enough time to react before Sasuke was running at him as well, leaving Karumi with a confused expression on her face.

"Itachi?" she murmured softly, tilting her head to the side.

"Good afternoon," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably as Sasuke rammed against him. Itachi hadn't meant to be seen, but sometimes it was as though his younger brother had a sixth sense when it came to his whereabouts.

"Are you walking home with us too, big brother?" Sasuke asked, squeezing tighter.

Trapped, Itachi slowly nodded his head. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, after all, and the joyous cheer his brother let out was something Itachi just couldn't say 'no' to. Sasuke pulled away from his hug and quickly grabbed Itachi's hand with his, taking Karumi's in the other.

The trio began to walk in comfortable silence, though it wasn't long before Sasuke and Karumi began whispering to each other.

"Big sister?" he asked quietly. "Did you and big brother have a fight?"

Karumi paused for a moment, surprised, though as small smile quickly spread onto her face. "Yeah, we did," she said simply. "You're so smart, Sasuke."

Sasuke giggled bashfully as he glanced up at his brother, tugging at the older Uchiha's hand. "You should apologise," he whispered.

Itachi sighed. He'd already said he was sorry, but maybe that wasn't enough for her. He couldn't even remember why he'd been so adamant about not letting her touch him in the first place. Sure, she was practically a human lie detector, but Karumi wasn't a mind-reader.

He stopped walking, forcing the other two to stop with him. Letting go of Sasuke's hand, Itachi moved towards Karumi, taking her free hand in his.

She gasped quietly, her eyes widening as what Itachi imagined were images of him flooded her mind for the first time in weeks. Karumi pursed her lips, gripping Itachi's hand before pulling him in for a hug.

Itachi froze as Karumi relaxed against him, and he felt his heart rate pick up. Not knowing what to do with his hands, Itachi returned her hug, embracing her gently. She felt warm - like being this close to her was something soothing or reassuring. Itachi only pulled away once he caught Sasuke staring up at the two of them in awe.

Karumi's cheeks were flushed pink as she took a step back, letting Sasuke take her hand once again, and the trio continued their walk home.

XXXXXXX

"Itachi?" Karumi asked, pushing herself up from her place at the dinner table and slowly making her way toward the kitchen, where the older Uchiha stood, washing dishes. "Can we go for a walk?"

Itachi paused, glancing across at her, though he didn't say anything.

"That sounds like a great idea," his mother said softly, placing another stack of plates beside the sink. "Why don't you go with Karumi? I'll finish up here."

The older boy stepped back, letting his mother take over, before turning to look at Karumi. The girl seemed to have a glow about her ever since they'd made up that afternoon, and she offered him a small smile as he took her hand and led her outside.

It had been a long time since they'd taken one of their walks together. The two of them used to use this time to talk about their training, though now that Itachi had joined the ANBU, there were a lot of things he couldn't say.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Karumi asked quietly, making Itachi's brows rise in interest. "Well, it's not really a secret," she continued. "It's just that I haven't really had anyone to tell."

Itachi felt a guilty pang in his gut, but said nothing.

"When I was spending every day at the medical corps, I found a scroll in the documents they recovered from my family." She paused, taking a deep breath before letting out a shaky sigh. "They mentioned a technique called 'Creation Rebirth' - it was only reserved for the highest ranking members of the clan."

The boy stayed silent, urging her to continue.

"There are plenty of things I can't do," Karumi admitted. "But I wanted to try it."

"What does it do?" Itachi asked, curious.

Karumi shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "But if it means I have to be storing chakra for three years straight, and if only the most skilled people should be doing it, it has to be something amazing, right?"

Itachi froze. "Three years?" he repeated incredulously. "When did you start?"

"Almost three years ago," she chirped, obviously proud of herself.

"And you don't know what it's for?" Itachi asked.

Karumi shook her head.

Silence fell between the two as they walked, and Itachi's brow furrowed even further. "If you have to have been storing chakra continuously for years," he murmured, thinking out loud. "What happens when you faint - like you do all the time?"

"Well, I thought I'd have to start all over again every time it happened," Karumi explained. "But when I wake up, the stream is still going like it never stopped in the first place."

She smiled sheepishly.

"It's like my body's cut off a chakra supply all on it's own. I'm finding that I pass out without much effort these days." She laughed.

"That's..." Itachi trailed off. "Not a good thing."

Karumi shrugged. "It's not like I'm doing all that much at the moment. It's only during combat training that I actually have a problem." She sighed. "What I'm worried about is that my sensei is thinking of putting us up for the Chunin Exams."

Itachi blanched. "Chunin Exams?" he repeated, his jaw tightening. "Would you do it?"

The young girl shook her head. "No," she murmured. "Not yet, anyway. Besides, I don't need to be leading squads."

Itachi felt himself relax. Even if he'd managed to pass the Chunin Exams on his own, he knew as well as anyone how dangerous they could be - and that was for able-bodied genin. For Karumi, they'd be even tougher, and Itachi definitely didn't trust those teammates of hers to look after her.

"What about you?" Karumi asked, pulling Itachi out of his thoughts.

"What about me?" he asked.

"Does your Sharingan ever affect your like my 'sight' affects me?" she asked. "You use it so often, so I was wondering..."

Itachi shook his head. "It's never been that bad. I just get tired," he muttered.

"Can I see them?"

"What?" Itachi asked.

"Your eyes," she said quietly. "Sasuke always goes on about how 'cool' they look when you're using your Sharingan."

Itachi stopped walking, stopping Karumi along with him. Carefully, he lifted her hand up to press against the side of her face, watching her concentrated expression as her second hand reached up to cup the other side of his face.

Karumi could feel Itachi's Leaf headband, still tightly wrapped around his forehead. His skin felt smooth beneath her fingertips, and his heart beat calmly and steadily through his facial artery. "When you're ready," she breathed.

Closing his eyes, Itachi activated his Sharingan before opening them again, watching as Karumi's own eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in awe.

Itachi felt an odd sense of pride as Karumi tilted her head to the side, studying his features. When he'd first acquired the Sharingan, Itachi had tried to test it out on Karumi - just to see what would happen - only to find that her lack of an ability to see interfered with anything he tried to do. Eye contact was a necessary asset for Sharingan techniques, after all.

Though, now that she was 'looking' at him, perhaps something simple would work.

Karumi's grip on Itachi's face suddenly tightened to an almost painful level and her eyes widened even more so.

"Itachi," she gasped, clearly panicking. "What's happening? Why can I see?"

Stunned, Itachi managed to pry her hands away from his face before gently gripping her shoulders. "What are you seeing?"

Karumi's eyes met his, an action that was oddly unsettling to Itachi. "You, I think," she squeaked, her eyes scanning the area around him. "And lots of pink trees - but there aren't any cherry trees around here, are there? And spring isn't for months."

She was beginning to hyperventilate, her eyes watering as small tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, and Itachi suddenly got the feeling that perhaps he'd gone a little too far with his experiment.

"Karumi, look at me," he murmured softly, grimacing a little as the girl's blank stare met his.

Looking at an illusion of him wouldn't help her. He knew that better than anyone.

"Not like that," he said, taking her hands and placing them back against his face. "Like this."

Karumi's breathing was shallow, though it quickly steadied as Itachi released his genjutsu. "What was that?" she asked shakily, pulling away from him as she took an unsteady step backwards, her cheeks flushed and her hands shaking.

"An illusion," Itachi explained softly. "I wanted to see if it would work on you."

Furious, Karumi reeled back, channelling enough chakra into her fist to break bones before swinging it at Itachi. The boy managed to dodge, though the thought of what would have happened if her fist had connected with his face sent shivers down his spine.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Karumi took a deep breath, eventually relaxing her clenched fist. "Just..." she whispered. "Just warn me next time."

Hoping it would have the same soothing effect as last time, Itachi awkwardly pulled her in for a hug, feeling the tenseness in Karumi's shoulders relax ever so slightly. Karumi leaned her cheek against his chest, slowly wrapping her arms around his waist. "I will," Itachi breathed.

The sudden sounds of footsteps had both Karumi and Itachi pulling away from each other, and Itachi turned two watch as Shisui approached them, a curious smile on his face. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"No," Itachi said quickly. "What's the matter?"

"I need to talk to you," the older boy murmured, glancing at Karumi. "Privately. It's urgent."

Itachi looked down at Karumi. "Can you make your way home by yourself?" he asked her quietly.

Karumi pursed her lips sourly. "Yeah," she huffed, glaring at nothing as she brushed past the two boys and slowly shuffled back to the house.


	18. Part III: Chapter 5

Karumi grunted angrily and kicked a small rock, listening as it bounced down the stony steps that led up to the Naka Shrine. She'd been waiting for almost an hour with Sasuke for the Uchiha clan to finish their meeting, and leaving her to reflect on her own thoughts was only making things worse for Karumi.

Itachi had refused to tell her what Shisui had wanted to talk about, and Karumi's curiosity had only managed to create a frustratingly unsatisfied feeling in her gut.

She'd spent all night pestering him, as usual, but the boy had managed to deflect every question she asked him. He'd even let her hold his hand while she did so - which is more than she could say compared to the last time she'd tried to get any information out of him.

"This is boring," Sasuke mumbled, his footsteps scuffing the pavement as he came to a stop beside Karumi. "Can we go somewhere else? Father taught me a new jutsu and I want to practise."

"They'll be done soon," Karumi sighed, putting on a reassuring smile, taking a seat on the top step. "You just have to wait a little longer."

Karumi was used to waiting. For the entire time she'd lived with the Uchiha clan, she'd never been allowed inside the shrine. It was always her job to stay and look after Sasuke while the other family members had their meetings.

It seemed that, even after all the times Itachi had tried to convince her she was part of the family, Karumi would always be 'Hanakawa' and not 'Uchiha'.

Unless, of course, she married into the family.

Karumi quickly shook the thought out of her head. Sure, thinking back on it, she'd had a crush on Itachi when she was little, but Karumi had grown out of that. At least, she was pretty sure she had.

Letting out a small sigh, Karumi drew her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top of them.

The 'illusion' Itachi had shown her the other day had been bugging Karumi relentlessly. She'd learned his face by touch years ago. She knew about the lines on his face, and she knew that his hair was black, but Karumi had never properly been able to picture Itachi until now.

She could see now why so many girls had fawned over him when they were younger. Even just in her memory, the intensity of Itachi's gaze was so captivating that Karumi almost wanted to go through the trauma of genjutsu again just to see it.

Quickly, she shook her head again, clapping her hands against her burning cheeks. She was still annoyed with Itachi, after all. Though, the more she told herself to be angry, the more Karumi found herself unable to do so. It wasn't Itachi's fault he couldn't tell her anything. He was under pressure to keep both the family's and the village's secrets. Karumi knew that.

She closed her eyes, trying to think of anything but Itachi. The steady stream of chakra she had flowing into a spot in the middle of her chest was as good a distraction as anything. She liked to picture it as an hourglass, with each grain of chakra falling one by one. To some, the idea of watching an hourglass that lasted three years seemed tedious, but Karumi found it relaxing - almost like a meditation aid.

Something seemed different this time, though. She'd noticed the 'top half' of her hourglass was running low months ago, but very few grains remained. Karumi suspected she had a week or so left before she was done.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the clan members began to emerge from the shrine, and Karumi pushed herself up from her spot on the steps, listening as Sasuke made his way towards his parents.

"Karumi," a familiar masculine voice murmured.

"Shisui?" Karumi asked, holding her hand out instinctively. "Where's Itachi?"

"Ah, he didn't come today," Shisui said awkwardly, letting her take his arm. "I don't blame him, though. He's pretty busy these days."

Karumi frowned. Itachi usually always made time to attend family meetings. Perhaps he had more on his plate than she'd originally thought. "So," she mumbled. "What do you want with me?"

Shisui paused before gripping Karumi's hand lightly but firmly. "Can you come with me?" he whispered, and Karumi nodded, detecting the urgency in his voice as she let him lead her away from the shrine.

"Are you finally going to tell me what you wanted with Itachi?" Karumi asked after a few steps, feeling Shisui stop when he was sure they were far enough away from the other clan members.

He laughed quietly. "No," he said, gently letting go of her. "Look, I know it's probably too late for me to say this, given how long you've lived with the family."

Karumi blinked, unsure of where Shisui was going with this.

"But," he continued, his voice lowering. "This needs to be said, even if you choose to ignore me. Try not to get too involved with the Uchiha."

A short laugh escaped Karumi's lips, though she quickly closed her mouth when she realised he was being serious. She'd been living with them for the majority of her life! Why would Shisui be telling her this now?

He chuckled quietly. "I knew you'd do that," he murmured.

"Don't you think eight years of living under their roof makes it a little too late to tell me something like that?" Karumi asked, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Besides, what is it about the Uchiha that makes it so bad for me to be involved?"

Shisui sighed. "I can't tell you," he said, watching as Karumi's expression turned sour. "Look I have a village and a family to protect. Don't think you're going to get to know all the secrets." The sharpness of his tone made Karumi flinch, though Shisui softened immediately with regret.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air around them."I love this family just as much as you do," Karumi muttered. "I may not be an Uchiha - or even from this village - but there are people here that I want to protect to."

"That's good," Shisui breathed, and Karumi could detect the small smile in his voice. "In that case, can I get you to promise something for me?"

Karumi tilted her head to the side. "What is it?"

"Look after Itachi, okay?" Shisui said. "He doesn't let it show, but he's sensitive. Just make sure you're there for him."

Frowning, Karumi held her hand out to Shisui. "Let me see you," she murmured, waiting until Shisui's hand touched hers before activating her kekkei genkai.

Shisui's pulse was rapid, his blood pressure higher than normal. The muscles in his arms were tense yet fatigued, though before Karumi could look any further, he pulled his hand away. "So?" he asked. "Do you promise?"

Karumi pursed her lips. Shisui's body showed obvious signs of both mental and physical stress, and Karumi sensed an odd feeling of desperation coming through his words.

"I promise," she whispered, giving him a small nod.

XXXXXXX

Karumi tapped her foot nervously against the floor of her bedroom, chewing her bottom lip. It had been less than a week since Shisui had pulled her aside after the clan's recent meeting, and already Karumi was going mad over what he'd said.

Clearly, something was going on that no one other than the Uchiha family knew about, and Karumi could tell that, whatever it was, it wasn't good. Sasuke was his usual bubbly self, though Karumi doubted he would be involved in anything. Itachi was becoming more of a recluse than ever, though Karumi blamed that on his position as an ANBU captain. Fugaku was a bitter and irritable man - but what was new about that? - and Mikoto was as kind and caring as she ever was.

Perhaps Karumi was overthinking things. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something might be very wrong after all. Shisui was a responsible young man, so the fact that he'd personally warned her set off alarm bells in Karumi's head. She wanted the truth, or, at least, some clarification.

She supposed the only way to get that was to ask Shisui herself.

Shuffling across the floor, Karumi quietly left her room, her hand sliding along the wall as she made her way down the hallway. Both Itachi and Sasuke were out training, though Karumi doubted they were together. Fugaku was still working at the police headquarters, so the only other person in the house was Mikoto. If Karumi could slip past her, she'd hopefully be at Shisui's house and back before anyone even noticed she'd left.

The floorboards creaked as Karumi reached the front door, making her wince.

"Karumi?" Mikoto's voice sounded from the other end of the hall. "Where are you going?"

The young girl sighed and closed her eyes, annoyed with herself that she'd been caught. "To visit a friend."

"Well, don't be gone too long," Mikoto called, her voice growing softer as she disappeared into a different room. "The others will be home soon and you know I don't like you staying out too long after dark."

Karumi nodded quietly as she pushed the door open, leaving the house.

She'd only ever been to Shisui's house a few times in the time she'd stayed with the Uchiha clan, though never by herself. Still, Karumi had memorised the number of steps needed to get anywhere in the Uchiha complex, and that included her current destination.

Knocking on the door, Karumi listened as the sound of soft footsteps grew closer, and the door creaked open.

"Well, you sure are persistent," Shisui's voice murmured. "I take it you still want answers?"

"Call it a healthy curiosity," Karumi muttered as she stepped forward, effectively inviting herself into Shisui's home. "Yes, I still want answers, but I know now that you won't tell me anything outright."

Shisui chuckled to himself as he closed the door.

"Instead, I'm just going to ask questions. You can answer them if you want."

"Be careful, Karumi," Shisui said, the light tone in his voice growing serious. "Even asking questions can land you in spots you don't want to be."

Karumi nodded. "I'm aware," she mumbled. "But this is important. If nothing else, please just tell me this: is the village in danger?"

The young man paused, as if carefully thinking over his answer. "Not after tonight," he stated after a few moments of silence. "Look, you caught me in the middle of getting ready for a very important mission, okay? Maybe you should go home."

"One more thing!" Karumi pleaded, the air in the house suddenly growing almost to tense to bear. "Is...is the family in danger?"

Shisui inhaled sharply, but quickly regained his composure. "I hope not," he sighed, reaching out and taking her hand. "If that's all you wanted, you need to leave. Come on, I'll walk you home."

Karumi hesitated, but conceded, letting Shisui take her home. She was happy she'd been told _something_ , but it hadn't made her any less worried. Things seemed to be more serious than Karumi had originally thought, albeit it wasn't as if she would be allowed to do anything to help. Her fingers curled around Shisui's wrist, and Karumi noticed his stress indicators were even higher than they were three days ago, though she doubted he'd do anything about it if she brought it up.

For now, Karumi could only hope that everything went according to plan - whatever that plan was.


	19. Part III: Chapter 6

The Uchiha house was oddly silent as Karumi sat at the small desk in her bedroom, eyes closed as she felt along the wooden surface. Even though she'd been assured she would be allowed to practise medical ninjutsu as long as she had a rank, Karumi hadn't done anything in the medical corps or hospital aside from healing a few grazes since becoming a genin.

It was for that exact reason that Karumi was home on her day off, working on a herbal remedy to reduce stress and fatigue, which she'd been planning on giving to Itachi and Shisui. Though, that being said, she hadn't seen Shisui since she'd argued with him at his house a few days prior. He'd said he was preparing for an important mission, and usually those took time, but Karumi found herself growing worried.

She sighed and pushed herself up, heading to the main room. Normally, she'd just meditate when she ran out of things to do, but her 'hourglass' had run out just hours ago, so Karumi would need to find a new hobby. Both Sasuke and Itachi were in the house somewhere, and Karumi figured she could spend time with them. It had been a while since it had just been the three of them together, after all.

The soft sound of laughter coming from the side garden had Karumi pausing in front of the entrance that led to the veranda which ran around the outside of the house, trying not to make a sound as she listened.

"It's tough being the best," Itachi's voice murmured gently. "Having power means being isolated, and that leads to arrogance - no matter how high people's hopes for you were."

Karumi felt a small smile tug at her lips. It was rare for Itachi to open up in front of people, even just a little, but the fact that he would do it for Sasuke was something that Karumi found endearing.

"But, it's just the two of us," Itachi continued. "I'll always be there, like a wall you need to climb over; because even if it mean being hated, that's what big brothers are for."

As Karumi moved to take a step towards the pair of brothers, a loud clatter rang through the house, and both boys were on their feet in an instant. Karumi recognised the noise as the sound of the house's front door opening, though it was a much more violent and aggressive sound than she was used to.

"Itachi, are you there?" an unfamiliar, masculine voice called from the entranceway, anger dripping through his tone. "Come out! We need to talk to you!"

Karumi flinched as she felt Itachi brush past her, hurrying towards the door. Sasuke's smaller footsteps followed behind him, though the young boy paused to take Karumi's hand and gently led her through the house, stopping just before the entrance and staying out of sight behind the corner.

"What's is it?" Itachi asked as he approached the men at the door. "You're all here."

"There were only two people who didn't show up to yesterday's meeting," another male voice spoke. "Why weren't _you_ there?"

Itachi said nothing, and Karumi found herself rolling her eyes. As Shisui had said, Itachi was busier than anyone else. Surely the other clan members could understand.

"Ever since you entered the ANBU," the man continued. "You've put us through some troubling situations, and we get it. Your father's stood up for you too, but..."

"However, we can't make any more exceptions," the first man finished.

"Understood," Itachi muttered. "I'll be more careful next time. Now, if that's all you wanted to talk about..."

"Actually," the first man cut him off. "There is one more thing we wanted to mention. Last night someone threw themselves into the Naka River. The body we found belonged to Shisui Uchiha."

It was as if time slowed down as Karumi sank to her knees. She felt dizzy, winded, like someone had just punched her in the gut, and tears began to prick her eyes. There was no way Shisui would have done something like that. Then again, the signs of stress she'd been noticing had been getting worse, but Karumi always new him to be the kind of person not to let pressure get to him.

"You and Shisui were the only ones who didn't attend last night's meeting," the man continued. "And it's common knowledge that you two were like brothers."

Itachi sighed. "Yeah, well," he murmured. "I haven't really seen him around lately. It's a shame that he'd do something like that."

Karumi's hands balled into fists, and she furiously rubbed her eyes as she pushed herself up off the floor. Something was wrong. Is this why the boys kept telling her to stay out of the family matters? Did the 'family secrets' have anything to do with Shisui's death? Karumi couldn't say for certain, but she was sure Shisui's death was something suspicious.

"Well," the second man spoke. "Rest assured that we, the police force, are planning to put all of our resources into this investigation."

Itachi paused. "Investigation?" he repeated.

Karumi listened as one of the men rifled through his pockets and produced what sounded like a piece of paper.

"This is the suicide note that Shisui left behind," the first man explained. "We've had the handwriting analysed, and there's no doubt that he wrote it."

"If it's not murder," Itachi murmured. "Then why is there need for an enquiry?"

"For a user of the Sharingan," the second man said. "Copying someone's handwriting is simple, isn't it?"

A small frown creased Karumi's features. She didn't like what they were implying, but she wasn't about to step in. Itachi was handling himself, as far as she was concerned, and she doubted she'd be of much help anyway.

She could hear the piece of paper being handed to Itachi, and the first man spoke again. "This tiny piece of paper contains the entirety of Shisui's note," he stated, and silence filled the room as Itachi read, before the man continued to talk. "He was one of the Uchiha's most promising members, and always the first to take on any mission for the sake of the clan."

"He wouldn't have given up his life or his clan this easily," the second man added.

Itachi took a breath. "Appearances can be deceiving," he said, his tone biting. "Perhaps you shouldn't judge people based on preconceptions."

The group of officers didn't reply, and Karumi listened as they turned to leave.

"We'll leave that note with you for the time being," the second man said. "Take it to the ANBU and ask for their assistance."

"Understood," Itachi murmured.

The men began to shuffle out the door, though the first man paused to speak. "It would be nice to get some sort of lead from them," he spoke to no one in particular.

"Just so you know," a third man said, his sudden presence making Karumi jump. "You're not the only route we have into the ANBU. If you destroy that note, we'll be the first to know."

Karumi had had it. She stormed out from behind the corner, ready to defend Itachi, though the older boy's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Why don't you say it directly," he muttered darkly, and a cold shudder ran down Karumi's spine as the three men stopped walking. "You think I did it, don't you?"

The atmosphere grew so tense that Karumi could barely hear her own breath over the sound of her heartbeat, and the second man grunted. "Yeah, we do," he spat. "Arrogant brat."

Karumi's own anger bubbled in her stomach and she opened her mouth, ready to yell at him, but the first man cut her off. "Itachi," he said, clearly ignoring her. "If you did indeed betray the clan, there will consequences."

Before Karumi could react, a gust of air blew past her, and the sounds of three connecting blows and three different cries of pain assaulted her ears. It took her a moment to realise that Itachi was no longer beside her, but outside.

She ran after him, reaching out to touch his shoulder, though Itachi quickly shrugged her hand off. "Like I said," he sneered, stepping towards the officers, who were quietly groaning as they struggled to push themselves up from the ground. "You shouldn't judge people based on preconceptions. If you think I have the patience to deal with you, you're wrong."

He took another step closer.

"'The clan, the clan'," he mocked. "Everything's about the clan. You talk, but you overestimate of your own ability, and you underestimate mine. That's why _you're_ on your knees."

Karumi felt another chill as she listened. Whoever was speaking, it wasn't the Itachi she knew. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that this was all some sort of terrible dream, and that soon she would wake up, and Shisui would be alive, and Itachi would be his usual reserved self.

But that wasn't the case.

"Shisui had been watching you recently," the first man managed, clearly still in pain. "It's been half a year since you became an ANBU captain, and your behaviour recently has been too strange to overlook. What on earth do you think you're doing?"

The man's words didn't seem to phase Itachi. "You cling to this clan, but it just makes you arrogant," he criticised. "You also fear what you don't understand. It's stupid."

"That's enough, Itachi!" Karumi jumped as Itachi's father yelled at him, angrier than Karumi had heard him in a long time, before his voice lowered to a tone filled with warning. "Calm down. What has gotten into you?"

Neither Itachi nor Karumi said anything as Fugaku moved to help the three men to their feet.

"Itachi," he sighed. "I'm worried about your behaviour lately." Karumi felt the urge to nod in agreement, though, for some reason, she felt as though she couldn't move.

As Itachi spoke, it was though all the aggression from earlier had left his voice, though the monotone he spoke with left an unsettling feeling in Karumi's chest. "Why?" he muttered. "I've been busy with work. That's all there is to it."

"Then why have you been missing the meetings?"

Silence filled the courtyard, before Itachi mumbled something under his breath. "I still have further to go," he whispered.

Fugaku seemed just as confused by Itachi's words as Karumi was. "What are you talking about?" he asked

The sudden sound of a weapon being drawn had Karumi taking several steps back, though she froze again as whatever projectile had been thrown hit the wall across from the house with a loud cracking thud.

"My abilities," Itachi continued. "Have been suppressed by this worthless clan. To obsess over something so trivial as the Uchiha means you lose sight of what's important. You can't achieve real change with all these restrictions."

"What insolence!" One of the other men growled, though Fugaku stopped him from making a move.

"That's enough!" he roared, directing his words toward Itachi. "If you continue to speak like this, you're going to be locked up!"

Karumi took a hesitant step forward. She didn't know what was making Itachi act like this, but surely his outburst didn't mean he deserved to be arrested.

"Well?" Fugaku said harshly. "What will you do?"

More silence filled the courtyard, before one of the other men stepped forward. "This cannot be tolerated, Captain!" he cried. "Make the arrest order!"

"Stop it, Big Brother!" Sasuke's voice called from the doorway, making Karumi jump. She hadn't expected him to still be listening, but, then again, she shouldn't have been surprised.

Sasuke's presence seemed to surprise Itachi as well, and whatever hateful aura that surrounded him seemed to retreat almost immediately as the older boy sank to his knees.

"I did not kill Shisui," he murmured earnestly. "But what I said was inappropriate. I apologise; I wasn't thinking."

Karumi let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and slowly began to approach Itachi.

Fugaku sighed. "Lately, the ANBU missions seem to have been taking a toll on him," he murmured.

"Captain!" one of the others said incredulously, clearly not expecting him to defend Itachi.

"The ANBU are under direct order from the Hokage," Fugaku stated, his voice hardening. "Even we, as military police, can't arrest them without a warrant. As for my son, please leave him to me."

The other man grunted. "Understood," he said begrudgingly.

Fugaku's footsteps were eerily loud as he made his way into the house, amplified by the tenseness in the air. "Get inside, Itachi," he called, kicking off his shoes. "And Karumi, tend to their injuries."

Karumi swallowed as she slowly made her way towards the three officers, holding out her hand for one of them to take. For only being hit once each, they were in worse shape than she would have thought. Along with the bruising, one of them had sprained his wrist from the fall, and all three of them were grazed from sliding across the cobblestones.

Regardless, none of it was anything she couldn't fix. As Karumi began to use her healing jutsu, one of the men leaned down to speak to her.

"You looked like you were ready to jump in if a fight broke out," he muttered. "Are you on that boy's side?"

Karumi frowned and shook her head. She wasn't even sure what being on Itachi's side even entailed. "What he said to you wasn't right," she conceded, moving on to begin healing the next man, her eyes narrowing. "But neither is accusing someone of a crime without sufficient evidence."

"Do you know something about Shisui that we don't?" another one of the men pushed.

Again, Karumi shook her head. "Up until just now, I didn't even know he was dead."

XXXXXXX

"Why are you following me?" Itachi muttered as he made his way toward his usual training spot, growing increasingly aware of the awkward set of footsteps that trailed behind him.

"I want to talk to you," Karumi said simply, her grip on the hem of his shirt tightening.

Itachi sighed, bracing himself for what was to come. He'd been scolded by his father for hours after his outburst the previous day, and would have been pestered by both Sasuke and Karumi if not for his mother insisting he get some rest.

Now it was time to face her properly, he supposed.

"Care to tell me what happened yesterday?" she asked nonchalantly.

He didn't. "You were there, weren't you?" Itachi murmured.

Karumi shrugged, her hand moving from his shirt to rest on the arm guard of his uniform. "If it's any consolation, I don't think you were involved in Shisui's death," she mumbled. "But I think you know more than you're letting on."

Itachi stayed silent, making her sigh.

"But that's not any of my business, is it?" she muttered, her grip on his arm tightening.

Again, Itachi said nothing. He'd tried so hard to keep both Karumi and Sasuke out of Uchiha business, and he wasn't about to jeopardise all that work. He hated to even think about how much danger the two of them would be put in if he told Karumi what was really going on.

The rumours that the Uchiha clan was behind the attack of the nine-tailed fox all those years ago had caused a massive divide between the family and the rest of the village. They'd been planning a coup against the heads of the village for months. Shisui had tried to stop them peacefully, but that clearly hadn't worked out in his favour.

The two continued to walk in silence, though Itachi slowed as he noticed Karumi's hands begin to tremble. He slowly craned his neck to look down at her face, immediately wincing at the sight of tears welling in her eyes.

Karumi sniffed. "Everyone's..." she managed. "Everyone's really worried about you. You've changed so much in just a few months. Sasuke wants his big brother back. _I_ want you back."

"I'm still here," Itachi sighed. "I've told you, things are just busy for me right now."

"There's a difference between having things to do and turning on your family," Karumi bit back, her voice rising in volume as her tone grew more desperate. "You blame your job, but I know there's something you're not telling me!"

Itachi snapped. "Why should what _I_ do have to concern _you_ all the time?" he hissed, pulling his arm out of Karumi's grasp. "Can't you mind your own business? Why are you trying so hard to care?"

"Because Shisui asked me to!"

Karumi's words, yelled right in his face, had Itachi freezing. He hadn't imagined the Shisui would pull Karumi aside, of all people; yet it was as if everything suddenly made sense.

"No, that's not true," Karumi murmured quietly, clearly surprised by her own outburst. "Well, it _is_ true, but that's not the only reason."

She reached out, her fingertips brushing the side of Itachi's face.

"I care because that's the way I've always felt," she said softly. "I'm not about to turn on you, even if you think everyone else already has."

The wall Itachi had spent so much time building cracked, and he momentarily faltered, thinking for a second that perhaps it would be best if he told her anything. That thought, however, was soon pushed down as Itachi attempted to recompose himself.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to be here long enough for you to change your mind," he muttered, immediately regretting his words as Karumi's brow furrowed.

"Are you...going somewhere?" she asked, her gentle tone hardening as she moved her hand away from his face.

"Forget you heard that," Itachi snarled, his words bordering on a threat.

Karumi snorted, unphased. "As if I could," she said, grabbing his arm tightly, her fingers pressing into his bare skin. "So I'll ask again: are you going somewhere?"

Itachi swallowed heavily. No matter what he said, Karumi would know the truth. After tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to stay in the hidden leaf village - at least, not alive.

He gently took her other hand and pressed it against his neck, nodding slowly, watching as her disbelieving smile slowly fell.

"Where?" Karumi asked, lowering her head.

"I don't know," he murmured.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Why?" she managed, her voice cracking as her shoulders began to tremble.

"I can't say."

Silence settled between the two as Karumi pursed her lips, clearly wanting to know more, but forcing herself to concede. "I'm coming with you," she said finally, lifting her head.

"No you're not," Itachi refuted bluntly.

Karumi offered him a small smile. "I promised Shisui I'd look after you," she told him, taking a step forward and resting her head against his chest. "It's hard to do that if I don't know where you are."

Itachi wanted so badly to refuse her, but something was stopping him. He had planned to leave Karumi behind, hoping she'd be able to look after Sasuke. Then again, as capable as Karumi was, perhaps it wasn't a great idea after all.

"Either way," she continued. "I'll follow you, even if you refuse to tell me where you're going. No one just disappears, and I don't break my promises."

Taking a deep breath, Itachi studied her face. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious, and he definitely didn't put it past her to follow through with such a threat.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "One condition," he murmured, and Karumi nodded eagerly, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

"Anything," she stated.

"Make sure Sasuke isn't in the clan's complex tomorrow night."


	20. Part III: Chapter 7

**A/N: A little bit of gore/violence and swearing in this chapter, but it's nothing that isn't already in the original series**

A strange knotted feeling twisted itself in Karumi's chest as she sat on the floor of one of the rooms in a small inn which sat just a few miles out of the Leaf Village. Itachi had asked her to meet him there, but had still refused to tell her what was going on. Karumi had given up trying to get anything out of him. As long as he'd take her with her - wherever he was going - she was content.

The crickets outside her room were barely audible over the sound of Karumi's own thoughts as she went over the events of that afternoon. Her one condition for joining Itachi was to make sure Sasuke wouldn't come home that night, and Karumi made sure to hold her end of the deal.

"Big Sister, are you picking me up from school again today?" Sasuke had asked her that morning, tugging at her arm.

She'd shaken her head. "Not today," she'd smiled, trying not to act any differently. "Why? Do you need help with something? You could ask Itachi."

Sasuke had paused. "Father says I'm not supposed to talk to Itachi anymore," he'd mumbled sourly, before perking up again. "Besides, I'm already the top of my class. I don't need Big Brother's help anymore!"

Karumi had hummed, impressed. "So you're training all by yourself now?" she'd asked, crouching down to Sasuke's level. "That's great. I'm really proud of you."

She could hear the beaming grin in his voice as he spoke. "Father taught me all sorts of Uchiha techniques," he'd boasted. "But I always make sure to practise them every day!"

Relief had flooded through Karumi as she'd gently placed her hand on top of his head. "In that case," she'd murmured. "How about staying out an extra few hours or so? I'll make sure to come and get you when dinner's ready."

Sasuke had made a noise that sounded almost skeptical, but Karumi offered him a small smile.

"Think how much better you'll be than all your classmates if you've mastered your new techniques by next week," she'd offered, making the small boy giggle.

"Promise you'll come and get me when dinner's ready?" Sasuke had said.

Karumi's smile had faltered a little, though she'd managed to maintain it. "Promise."

But Karumi wouldn't be home for dinner, let alone to collect Sasuke from his training. She imagined how disappointed he would be with her that she'd lied to him, but Karumi was certain he'd understand.

The sound of two male voices approaching her room snapped Karumo out of her thoughts, and she quickly stood up, trying to focus all her energy on listening to their conversation, though she couldn't ignore the metallic stench of blood that followed them.

"She can't come with us," a stranger muttered, their footsteps growing louder and the smell becoming stronger as the pair grew closer.

"You're trying to build an organisation, aren't you?" the second voice, which Karumi now recognised as belonging to Itachi, asked quietly. "Someone like her could be useful."

"We're looking for notorious strength," the first man corrected, his voice muffled in comparison to Itachi's. "I've never even heard of this girl. We don't need her."

The door to her room slid open, and Karumi braced herself, ready to be told by Itachi to go back home. Instead, a sudden pain burst through her abdomen as sharp metal pierced her body, and the warm trickle of blood began to gush down her skin.

She stumbled back, clutching her stomach, feeling for the handle of the kunai lodged inside her as she slowly sank to her knees. If she pulled it out now, she'd surely bleed to death, though her medical instincts were kicking in.

Placing her hand against her middle, Karumi blinked as the sight of her own punctured internal organs flashed through her mind. Even with her knowledge of medical ninjutsu, it wasn't something she could heal without performing surgery. She'd have to use _that_.

Tsunade Senju's notes about the Creation Rebirth technique hadn't exactly specified what the technique did, though Karumi knew that breaking the seal that held all the chakra she'd been storing for the past three years would somehow assist her in a pinch like this.

Another kunai was rammed into her, this time down through her shoulder, nicking the top of her lung, making Karumi splutter, blood dribbling down her chin. If she didn't open this seal now, she'd almost certainly die.

Dizzy, Karumi clasped her trembling hands together, focusing on opening the seal before she passed out - or worse. "Reserve seal release," she muttered, feeling her chakra swell up inside her. "Mitotic regeneration."

Itachi watched from the doorway, frozen in horror as the man he knew to be Madara Uchiha stepped back from the girl, clearly also caught off guard by what they were witnessing. From underneath Karumi's t-shirt, rich purple stripes were beginning to emerge, swirling their way up her neck and down her arms.

Steam began to rise from her wounds as she gingerly pulled the weapons out of her flesh, and the two Uchiha men stared in awe as her wounds began to heal themselves, leaving no trace that she'd ever been attacked. Her ragged wheezing quickly reverted to normal, steady breaths as she pushed herself up off the floor.

"You _stabbed_ me," she said incredulously, clutching both kunai in her hands, glaring directly at the other man, and Itachi swallowed as he watched her eyes, their usual white colour ever so slightly more blue than normal.

Karumi seemed to notice a change too as her eyes darted to him, widening as her shaky hands dropped the two weapons. It was then that Itachi realised what was happening: Karumi could see again, albeit, most likely, not very well.

To her, the two men in front of her were like shadows moving in the darkness, but, compared to the sheer nothingness she'd been dealing with for most of her life, this newfound sight was a breath of much-needed fresh air.

"Itachi?" she managed, reaching her hand out as she took a step towards him, the purple marks quickly receded back up her harms, and the pale blue colour in her eyes slowly began to fade.

No. No. No. The shadows were growing fuzzy, melding with the darkness around them. Se'd only just managed to get her sight back yet it was gone again within seconds. Karumi's fingertips reached Itachi's body and she slowly gripped the fabric of his flak jacket, hanging her head in misery.

"Well, that was unexpected," the strange man murmured, making Karumi clench her jaw. "There's only one other person in the world who can do that. Perhaps she could be useful after all, Itachi."

"Itachi," Karumi muttered, lifting her head. "What's going on?"

The young Uchiha gently wrapped his hands around her wrists, lifting her hands and pressing them softly against his temples. "Look at my eyes, and I'll explain everything."

As soon as she closed her eyes, Karumi found herself standing in the middle of a courtyard; one which felt familiar, yet completely alien to her. The moon was bright red, casting an uncomfortable glow over the empty houses.

"Don't panic," Itachi's voice sounded from behind her, making her jump and look around. He stood there, motionless, as he watched her with a form of his Sharingan that Karumi had never seen before.

"Where am I?" Karumi asked quietly, her voice coming out in barely a whisper.

"Technically, you're still in the inn," Itachi murmured. "We have more time in this place."

"This is one of your genjutsu techniques, isn't it?" Karumi guessed.

"The Tsukuyomi is designed to psychologically torture an opponent - hence the slow passage of time compared to the real world," he explained, making Karumi raise an eyebrow.

"You're torturing me?" she repeated.

"I'm showing you the truth," Itachi corrected. "But, for someone like you, the truth could be considered torturous."

A deep frown etched itself into Karumi's features as she and Itachi were suddenly transported to a high cliff at the edge of a forest, the sky still an unsettling shade of red and the surrounding trees a pitch black. The deafening roar of the gushing waterfall across from them made it difficult to hear anything else.

Two figures stood at the edge of the cliff, and Karumi took a cautious step forward, tilting her head to the side as she suddenly recognised the person closest to her.

"That's you," she mumbled, pausing to look back at Itachi. "Who's that other boy?"

"Shisui," Itachi murmured, moving to join her. "The day before those police officers came to the house."

Karumi's frown grew deeper as she turned to look at the two boys in front of her again. "Can they see us?" she asked, uncertain.

"No," the Itachi beside her said. "This illusion is taken from my memory. You and I are just witnesses."

Taking a deep breath, Karumi made her way towards the pair struggling to listen to their conversation over the river that ran below. Though, the closer she got, the less concerned she felt for what they were saying, and the more horrified she felt at the sight before her.

Shisui stood on the edge of the cliff, breathing heavily. His right eye was swollen shut; his cheeks stained with blood. "It...no longer seems as though the Uchiha coup d'etat can be stopped," he wheezed, making Karumi's eyes grow wide.

She'd never heard about any coup, though it suddenly dawned on her that that was what the two boys had been shielding her from this whole time.

"The Uchiha family was blamed for the attack on the Leaf Village all those years ago," the Itachi beside her murmured, his hands balling into fists. "We've been observed by the higher ups for years. They even made everyone in the clan move to one section of the village to make it easier to watch them. The dissatisfaction felt by everyone led to the planning of a rebellion against the leaders of the village."

Karumi took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Everything was starting to make sense - the standoffishness from both Itachi and Shisui, the secrets, the sudden aggression between the members of the Uchiha clan.

"If civil war breaks out in the village, there's not doubt that other villages would try to invade," Shisui continued, taking a step toward the other Itachi. "Then we'd have a real war on our hands."

The memory-Itachi lowered his head, and Karumi felt a sinking sensation in her chest.

"I've already tried to stop the coup on my own," Shisui sighed. "But Danzo stole my right eye just as I was about to succeed."

He gestured to the bloody side of his face and snorted humorlessly.

"That guy doesn't trust me," Shisui muttered. "He doesn't care how it looks - he'll protect the village in his own way."

Shisui inhaled deeply, reaching for his other eye, and both Karumi and the other Itachi watched, frozen in horror, as he sunk his own fingers into the socket. "It's likely he'll try to come after my left eye as well," he winced, pulling the orb from his face, making Karumi flinch as her eyes began to water, her breathing growing heavy. "Before that happens, I'm giving it to you."

The memory-Itachi swallowed heavily, but held his hand out, barely holding back a grimace as he accepted the eye. His harrowed expression seemed to crumple as Shisui took a step back, slowly growing closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.

"The only one I can count on is you," Shisui breathed, closing his eyes. "Protect the village...and the Uchiha name."

With that Shisui held out his arms, offering one last peaceful smile before falling backwards, plunging down into the rapids below.

Karumi burst forward, moving through the other Itachi as if he were nothing and stopping at the edge of the cliff, peering down to the river, though before she could even try to look for Shisui, the world seemed to rush past her.

She suddenly found herself in a large, almost empty room, save for a long bench, behind which sat four older people. Another person, who Karumi instantly recognised as Itachi, though his face was obscured by his ANBU-issued porcelain mask, knelt in front of them.

"Who are they?" Karumi managed, desperately wiping the tears from her eyes, watching the four people intently.

"The Leaf Village's Council," the Itachi beside her muttered. "On the far left is Danzo Shimura; he leads a branch of the ANBU. Next to him is Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado and the Third Hokage. All three of them were students of the Second Hokage."

Karumi's horror at witnessing Shisui's death was replaced almost immediately with rage as she glared at the man on the left. From what she could tell, he'd interfered with Shisui's attempt to stop the Uchiha clan's rebellion peacefully. That alone put him in her bad books.

The man looked like he'd seen more than his fair share of battles. His face was covered in bandages and scars, and his right arm didn't seem to be functioning properly. A wooden walking stick leant against his end of the table, looking just as gnarly and worn as the rest of him. Yet, with all the battering he'd clearly received, there was a certain stoicism in his expression that made Karumi feel very uncomfortable.

"We can't approve of this any longer!" the old woman cried, slamming her hands on the table and making Karumi jump. "If those people are planning to revolt and usurp our power, we have no choice but to label the Uchiha clan as traitors to the Leaf Village!"

"Wait, Koharu!" the Third Hokage ordered, making the room feel extremely tense. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

Danzo's visible eye narrowed as his gaze slid towards the Hokage. "However, Hiruzen," he muttered. "The Uchiha clan will not be stopped. In that case, to avoid chaos, measures must be taken immediately."

He glanced down at the memory-Itachi

"They'll have to die," he said. "That includes children."

It was barely noticeable, but the Itachi in front of her flinched, lowering his head. Karumi felt as though she would throw up. Her eyes grew wide as her shoulders began to tremble. She knew right away that the man was talking about Sasuke, but that boy knew less than she did! There was know way he was part of any coup d'etat!

"Do not say such things in front of Itachi!" the Third Hokage barked. "Moreover, if we were to go to war against the Uchiha, things would not be easy. We must plan this carefully."

Karumi's hands balled into fists as Danzo moved to retaliate. "We're in a race against time," he argued. "Before those people have a chance to launch their attack, we must make the first move. If you and I, plus our mutual ANBU operatives assemble and launch a surprise attack from behind, it will be over in no time."

"The Uchiha were once our comrades in battle," the Third Hokage said sternly. "Before we think to use violence, I'd like to use words. I will think of a strategy."

The old man turned back to the memory-Itachi, the expression in his eyes desperate.

"Itachi, please," he murmured. "However much time you can give me, please do."

Karumi pursed her lips and looked up at the Itachi beside her, gripping his arm. "They didn't kill Sasuke, did they?" she asked frantically. "Please tell me Sasuke isn't dead!"

Itachi's expression remained calm. "Keep watching," was all he said as the scenery around them became blurry once again, and Karumi found herself in front of what looked like a temple. Two colossal deity statues stood in front of the entrance, as if guarding the building, though, as awestruck as Karumi felt at the sight of the structure, her eyes were completely focused on the two people in front of her: Itachi and Danzo.

"Despite what the Third said," Danzo muttered. "He will move to protect the village at all costs. That's the kind of man he is. If that happens, Hiruzen, as Hokage, will need to take immediate action."

The memory-Itachi said nothing, and Danzo continued.

"Whether or not war breaks out," he said. "When this coup d'etat occurs, in any case, the Uchiha will need to be destroyed."

Karumi's mouth felt dry as she listened, blinking away the tears that pricked at her eyes. While she was wasting her time as a genin, running around, retrieving lost cats or sitting alone in her study, Itachi was dealing with this. Even without showing her, Karumi could imagine the amount of pressure he was under from both the clan and the rest of the village. She could hardly blame him for the fact that he'd snapped in front of those officers. She was sure she would have done something worse if it was her in his situation.

"That would include your unsuspecting little brother as well," Danzo murmured. "But there is a way to spare him before the rebellion begins."

The memory-Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Danzo, and he nodded slowly.

"If things continue as they are, your brother will come to know everything," the old man continued. "And if he witnesses Leaf shinobi slaughtering his clan, he'll want to take his revenge on the village. For that, he too would have to die."

Both Karumi's hand and the memory-Itachi's hands balled into fists. "Is that a threat?" Itachi asked.

Danzo's visible eye narrowed. "No," he said lowly. "I want you to make a choice: either stay with the Uchiha clan, launch the coup d'etat and be destroyed along with the rest of your family; or side with us. Save your little brother before the rebellion begins, and help to eliminate all other Uchiha."

A bittersweet wave of relief flooded through Karumi. The fact that Itachi was with her meant he'd elected to save Sasuke, but the cost for doing so was huge.

"In order to protect the village, the situation must be stopped before the chaos begins," Danzo continued. "This mission can only be given to someone who is a double agent for both the Uchiha and the Leaf village. That's you, Itachi."

Silence settled between the pair as Danzo closed his visible eye.

The old man sighed. "Itachi," he muttered. "This will be painful for you, however it will give you the chance to save your brother."

Karumi looked up at the memory-Itachi, the devastated expression in his eyes almost too much for her to bear. No human being, let alone someone as young as they were should have to make such a decision, yet it was being forced on Itachi by the higher-ups like it was just part of the job.

"I know that you and I feel the same way about the village," Danzo continued. "Will you accept the mission?"

The memory-Itachi lowered his head, staring blankly at the stony ground. Karumi could feel every emotion he felt rushing through her system, feeling so overwhelmed by the pressure and guilt that came with making such a decision.

A hot wet tear slid down her cheek as she watched the Itachi in front of her lift his head and slowly nod. She stepped back, turning to look up at the other Itachi.

"You were right," she croaked feeling even more tears well up. "This is like torture."

The Itachi beside her nodded quietly and placed his hand on her head, letting her lean against his side. The world around them grew blurry again as Karumi suddenly found herself in the middle of a forest. She pressed her face against his shirt, not wanting to see anymore. She knew what was coming, and she didn't want to see it.

"How did you know about me?" a muffled voice asked, making Karumi quickly turn her head. She recognised that voice. It was the same as the man who'd just stabbed her.

He was tall - Itachi barely reached his shoulder - and his hair was long and untamed. His entire face was obscured by a black and white mask, only one single eye hole allowing him any way to see.

"You managed to get through the Leaf Village's tight security to come and examine the Naka Shrine's secret stone," the memory-Itachi murmured. "Only members of the Uchiha clan know where it is, so I followed you. I know who you are, and why you're here."

The stranger tilted his head to the side. "That saves me time," he chuckled. "If you know who I am, you know that I bear hatred towards both the Leaf Village _and_ the Uchiha clan."

"I have a proposition," the memory-Itachi offered. "I'll help you exact your revenge on the Uchiha clan, as long as you promise not to harm the village or Sasuke Uchiha."

Karumi's brow furrowed as she looked up at the Itachi beside her. "I don't get it," she whispered as the world seemed to rush past her once again. "Who is that man? Is he a member of the Uchiha clan?"

Itachi nodded. "From before the village was formed," he murmured.

Karumi fell silent, pursing her lips. She didn't know the history of the clan or the village very well, but she knew the Uchiha clan went back several generations. Even if someone from so long ago was still alive, she doubted they'd be strong enough to infiltrate the village as that man had.

They were back in the courtyard they'd started in, the red moon still shining above as though no time had passed at all, though, this time the cobblestone ground was littered with bodies.

Karumi's breath hitched in the back of her throat, and she struggled to breath as she closed her eyes tightly. She didn't recognise the people, but she knew the Uchiha crest proudly sitting on their backs, now drenched in blood.

Their had to be at least a dozen people in the courtyard alone, and Karumi sobbed at the thought of how many more bodies were in the houses and businesses of the Uchiha complex. Her tears had already dried against her cheeks, though as Itachi began to guide her through the complex, more began to spill over.

Even if Karumi couldn't recognise them visually, these were still people with families; people she knew. It was as though her eyes were stuck open as she looked around, paralysed by the scene before her.

The world rushed past her yet again before both Karumi and Itachi were transported into one of the houses, stopping in a large traditional room. The sight of a man and a woman kneeling in the middle of the room, and Itachi standing behind them, brandishing a sword, had Karumi letting out another gut-wrenching sob.

"I see," the man murmured, and Karumi felt her knees buckle underneath her as he recognised the voice as belonging to Fugaku. "So you've decided to join the other side."

Karumi sank to her knees as she watched the memory-Itachi lower his head shamefully. "Father," he croaked. "Mother, I -"

"We understand, Itachi," the woman, Mikoto, spoke softly, bringing even more tears to Karumi's eyes.

"I just want you to promise me one last thing," Fugaku murmured, making Itachi's eyes widen in surprise. "Take care of Sasuke."

Karumi watched, helpless, as tears formed in Itachi's eyes and trickled down his cheeks. "I will," he managed, nodding quickly, his hands shaking as he lifted his sword.

"Don't be afraid," Fugaku said, staring strongly at the wall across from where he knelt. "This is the path you've chosen. Compared to you, our pain will be over in an instant."

The memory-Itachi nodded as more tears streamed down his face.

"Even if our ways of thinking are different," Fugaku murmured. "I'm still proud of you. You were always such a kind child."

As the memory-Itachi clenched his jaw, Karumi quickly shut her eyes, cringing at the sound of flesh and bone being pierced by Itachi's sword, before the thudding noises of two bodies falling against the wooden floorboards invaded her ears.

Cracking one eye open, Karumi watched as the memory-Itachi furiously rubbed the tears out of his eyes, drawing a long, steady breath as he moved to put his sword away.

The door to the room suddenly opened, making both Karumi and the memory-Itachi lift their heads.

"No..." Karumi breathed, her eyes widening as a young child, who she could only assume to be Sasuke, slowly entered the room.

"Father! Mother!" he cried, taking another shaky step forward. "Big Brother! Father and Mother are - how? Why? Who would do such a -"

The small boy's frantic rambling was cut off as a shuriken rushed past him, slicing into his upper arm, making Sasuke flinch, grunting as he clutched his wounded arm.

"You're a fool, little brother," Itachi muttered, his eyes growing wide and flashing bright red as he glared at Sasuke.

The younger Uchiha let out a devastating scream as he fell forward, writhing on the floor for only a moment before growing still.

Forgetting for a moment that she was in an illusion, Karumi rushed forward, kneeling down beside Sasuke. She moved to roll him over, though her hands drifted right through him as though he were made of air.

What hurt Karumi more than witnessing these horrible memories was the knowledge that she couldn't do anything to help. All of this had already happened, and where was she? Sitting in an inn, miles away, drinking herbal tea.

Sasuke began to stir, struggling to lift his head as he stared at the memory-Itachi in shock. "Why..." he trailed off. "Why did you do this, Big Brother?"

Itachi watched him, his gaze hardening. "To test my abilities," he said simply.

Karumi frowned, glancing back at the Itachi accompanying her. Sure, he couldn't tell Sasuke what he was really doing, but was he really planning to shoulder all the blame himself?

"Test your abilities?" Sasuke repeated, dropping his head again. "That's all..? You killed them for that?"

"It was essential that I did," Itachi murmured, frowning as Sasuke moved to heave himself back up.

"Essential..." Sasuke wheezed, pushing himself to his feet. "You're full of shit!"

With that, he charged weakly toward his brother, slipping on the blood that pooled over the floorboards and toppling over again. He pushed himself up once more, and Karumi followed as Sasuke chased Itachi out of the house, pausing when they reached the courtyard outside and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You're lying," Sasuke mumbled, his voice wobbling. "This isn't something my big brother would do...so..."

"Acting as the big brother you desired was just my way of testing _your_ capabilities," Itachi muttered.

Sasuke flinched, his legs trembling so hard he was barely able to stand.

"You are what I need to measure my strength," Itachi continued. "That's the kind of potential you have. You've felt unpleasantly toward me; you've hated me. You've always wanted to beat me, so I'll let you live - for my sake."

Karumi jumped as the Itachi accompanying her placed his hand on her shoulder. "If Sasuke has only me to blame," he murmured. "He won't suspect the village of being behind the downfall of the Uchiha clan. I'll have fulfilled my mission."

"Like me, you have the power to awaken this Mangekyou Sharingan," the memory-Itachi said. "But there's a catch: you have to kill your best friend, just as I did."

Both Sasuke's and Karumi's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly looked up at the Itachi beside her. That wasn't his fault. She'd seen it with her own eyes. The blame for Shisui's death was Danzo's to bear.

"That - you -" Sasuke stammered, taking a step back. "You murdered Shisui?"

"That is what blessed me with these eyes," Itachi muttered.

Sasuke said nothing, only staring back at Itachi in horror.

"In the Naka Shrine's main hall," the older Uchiha boy murmured. "Seven mats in from the far right, there is an underground room which the clan used to hold its meetings."

A deep, confused frown twisted Sasuke's expression as Itachi continued to talk.

"There's a reason the Uchiha clan possess the Sharingan," he said. "The real truth is written there. If you open your eyes to that truth, you will also obtain this Mangekyou Sharingan, and if that happens, letting you live would have been the right decision."

He took a step towards Sasuke, making the small boy flinch and take another step back.

"Right now," the memory-Itachi muttered. "Someone like you, my stupid baby brother, isn't worth killing. So resent me. Hate me. And when you have the same eyes as mine, come and face me."

Karumi watched as the points of Itachi's already-frightening Sharingan fused together into three spiralling curves around his pupil, and he glared at Sasuke, somehow causing the boy to fall forward again, seemingly unconscious for good this time. Looking back at the memory Itachi, however, Karumi watched as more tears spilled from the older boy's eyes, before the scenery began to blur once more.

She closed her eyes, covering her face with her hands. "Please tell me it's over," she begged, feeling the Itachi accompanying her remove his hand from her shoulder.

"One more," he promised, making Karumi look up.

She was exhausted. Her face ached, and she'd longs since run out of tears to cry. Once again, Karumi found herself in front of the temple with the massive statues, witnessing a conversation between Itachi and Danzo.

Karumi seethed as she stormed forward, whipping her curled fist through the old man's head, albeit the sensation of her arm sliding through the air wasn't the least bit satisfying.

"If anything happens, I'll know," the memory-Itachi warned, holding a kunai to the man's throat. "Rest assured that if anything happens to Sasuke Uchiha, the Leaf Village's most heavily guarded secrets will be leaked to enemy nations before you have a chance to defend yourselves."

The world grew blurry once again, and Karumi suddenly found herself in an empty field, the blood red moon of Itachi's genjutsu shining down on her as bright white fireflies drifted up from the tall grass.

She suddenly felt all the weight of what she'd learned pulling down on her, forcing her to her knees. She didn't know how Itachi could have chosen between the village and his clan. On one hand, the Uchiha rebellion could have destroyed the lives of everyone else in the village, on the other, that was his own flesh and blood he'd been forced to destroy.

Then again, would Sasuke have been spared if it weren't Itachi carrying out the mission? Karumi doubted it. What Itachi did was the only way to save both the village and his younger brother. To her, he was a hero. He was someone who would do anything for the people he truly loved.

"Now you know everything," Itachi's voice sounded as he held out his hand, helping Karumi to her feet.

"Yeah," she mumbled, interlocking her fingers with his. "You've certainly scarred Sasuke for life."

Guilt clouded Itachi's expression, and Karumi instantly regretted her words. It hadn't occurred to her that all these painful memories belonged to Itachi, and he'd been experiencing them right along with her.

"It's not too late to go back," he murmured, squeezing her hand. "Barely a second has passed in the real world since we got here. Just say the word and I can drop you back in the complex. You'll be considered one of the survivors, and you'll be able to stay with Sasuke."

Karumi pursed her lips, glancing around the field. The offer was tempting, but her own personal sense of guilt settled in the pit of her stomach as she realised just how empty this safe place was.

"When my own clan was destroyed," she spoke, looking back up at the older boy's face. "It was the Leaf Village who took me in and gave me a home. I believe that the village will do the exact same thing for Sasuke. You saw to that personally."

A sad smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she looked down again, watching the fireflies dart between blades of grass.

"Sasuke will have his friends, his teachers, his comrades; so many people will be there to watch over him." She gripped his hand tighter, hoping the action might stop her own hand from trembling. "But there's no one to do that for you. Not unless I stay with you. The promise I made to Shisui still stands."

Itachi watched her, seemingly stunned into silence, before slowly pulling her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "What you saw here must remain a secret," he muttered, his voice muffled by her hair. "I've been tasked to look into a criminal organisation known as the Akatsuki. Where we're going will be full of rogue shinobi and traitors just like me."

Karumi shook her head. "You're the exact opposite of a traitor," she mumbled against his flak jacket. "But I understand. I'll be on guard, mind my own business, and stay out of the way. You'll hardly even know I'm there."

She tilted her head up, offering him a charming smile, before resting her head against his chest again.

"When I wake up, I'm going to do this to you properly," she sighed feeling her eyelids grow heavy as her vision once again began to fade. She'd treasure the memories Itachi had shared with her, no matter how awful they were. Perhaps, that way, if Karumi ever were to repair her sense of sight, she'd be able to recognise the people she called family.


	21. Part III: Chapter 8

Itachi grunted as he adjusted his hold on Karumi's unconscious body, leaning so that she wouldn't slide from her place on his back. She'd been asleep for the past three days, and Itachi found himself wondering if using the Tsukuyomi on her was too much for her to handle. She'd needed to know the truth, though, and Itachi had been desperate.

Watching Karumi bleed out like that after everything that had happened that night had sent him over the edge. After his parents, Itachi had figured he could endure the death of one more of his loved ones, but he was wrong.

What Itachi wasn't expecting, however, was for Karumi to pull _that_. She'd mentioned to him before that she'd been working on a high-ranking technique, but he never imagined it was a self-healing ability, not to mention the fact that it had momentarily cured her of her blindness. Itachi remembered his father once mentioning that the technique could be reversed with an inhuman amount of chakra, but if three years of storage had only given her a few seconds of poor sight, Itachi doubted there was anything in this world with enough chakra to truly heal her.

Yet, here she was, perfectly unharmed. Perhaps Itachi wouldn't have to worry about her as much as he did. Karumi could fend for herself. She'd be okay.

Itachi suddenly felt a drop on his face, and he looked up at the sky, watching the grey clouds above them carefully. They'd long since left the Land of Fire, heading north to a small, war-torn village, where Madara had assured him the rest of his organisation were waiting.

Karumi stirred, groaning and mumbling to herself as her eyes slowly opened. "Itachi?" she asked, her cold fingertips touching the skin of his neck. "Is this still a dream?"

Glancing back at her colourless eyes, Itachi slowly shook his head. "You've been asleep for days," he murmured. "We're almost there."

"Where are we?" she yawned, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"A couple of hours out of the village hidden by rain."

Karumi smiled softly and closed her eyes, clearly still exhausted, though a sudden gasp escaped her lips and she quickly sat up, forcing Itachi to grip her legs tightly for fear of dropping her. "Where's the guy who stabbed me?"

Itachi stopped walking, readjust his hold on her yet again. "He went on ahead," he muttered, instantly feeling Karumi deflate with relief. "He didn't want to be slowed down."

"I can walk, you know," she mumbled, pouting as she stifled another yawn.

"Not yet," Itachi said softly. "Get your strength back first."

Karumi fell silent, nodding slowly as she gently set her head back down against his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "For not keeping Sasuke away. I'm sorry he had to see all of that."

Itachi shook his head as he continued to move. "He would have come back eventually," he murmured. "Besides, the mission was finished before he really saw anything."

Karumi pursed her lips. She knew he was still somewhat in denial. Sure, Sasuke hadn't actually seen his brother kill anyone, but he'd seen the aftermath of the massacre, and that was the last thing she'd wanted.

"I wouldn't have gotten to talk to him if he hadn't come back," Itachi offered. "He wouldn't have known how to reach the clan's secrets. He wouldn't have known to hate me or grow stronger."

A small grimace tugged at the corners of Karumi's mouth. "Personally, I don't think you should have said that to him," she muttered, closing her eyes. "He'll be too fixated on you. He'll push other people away."

"He'll be stronger if he has a goal," Itachi said dryly.

Karumi sighed as she felt another wave of fatigue wash over her. "Whatever you say," she mumbled sleepily, pressing her face against his neck before drifting back into unconsciousness.

XXXXXXX

The rain was heavier now as Karumi's eyes blinked open once more, and the young girl flinched as the unusually icy drops pelted against her skin. She shuddered a little and lifted her head, moving her stiff hand to lift the high collar of her old t-shirt past her chin, trying to shield her face.

Karumi took a deep breath, though quickly began to choke and splutter. The air here was much thicker than back in the Leaf Village. The strange mixture of smoke and fumes made her eyes water as she coughed once more, pressing the fabric of her t-shirt firmly against her mouth in an attempt to filter the air she breathed.

"We're here," Itachi murmured, shifting his weight to let Karumi down.

Her legs wobbled slightly as her feet touched the ground, her joints stiff from days of not moving as she gently wrapped one of her arms around Itachi's waist and began to walk with him. The rain had stopped hitting them, meaning they'd entered a building, though the slight curve of the floor and the light splashing sound their footsteps made had Karumi thinking they were in some sort of circular tunnel or large drain pipe.

The sound of the rain grew softer and softer as the pair continued to walk deeper and deeper into the tunnel; until the sound of the rainstorm outside was barely audible.

Karumi stayed silent as she let herself be led through the twists and turns of what seemed like an endless echoey maze, her sandals squelching unpleasantly as the water seeped into her shoes.

"For future reference," Itachi said quietly. "Sending chakra through your feet lets you walk on water."

A small frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. She hadn't spent enough time at the Academy or with her genin team to learn anything about that. Perhaps she should have also studied techniques other than medical ninjutsu and the one technique that would allow her to pass the Academy's exam during her time at the medical corps.

Perhaps she shouldn't have left the village at all, Karumi thought for a moment, but quickly shook her head. It was too late to turn back now, and Karumi had promised she'd look after Itachi. Besides, she doubted she could return to her normal routine now that she knew everything. Itachi loved the Leaf Village - that much was evident from the sacrifices he'd made - but Karumi needed more time.

She didn't think she could forgive the Leaf Village's council for forcing such a mission on Itachi, but if he hadn't gone through with it, he and Sasuke would almost certainly be dead. She would need to think it all over; to rationalise everything. Though, before she could even begin to go over the events of the past few days, Itachi stopped.

The sound of a heavy door opening had Karumi taking a hesitant step back, though the curious burst of adrenaline the rushed through her veins kept her by Itachi's side, following him through the doorway.

"Good to see you've finally made it," the familiar voice of the Uchiha man from earlier echoed through the room, making Karumi frown, her hold on Itachi tightening.

"So, this is the girl you mentioned," another masculine voice murmured, sending shudders down Karumi's spine. Normally, she could detect hints of emotion in even people like Itachi's voices, but she heard nothing from the man in front of her. The lack of any feeling in his voice was something that Karumi found disturbing.

"That's right," the old Uchiha man muttered, snapping Karumi out of her thoughts. "From what I've witnessed myself and what I've managed to dig up, she comes from a clan of highly skilled medical ninja. Her current abilities may even rival those of Tsunade Senju of the Leaf Village."

"Tsunade Senju?" a feminine voice repeated, intrigued. "What brought you to the Akatsuki, Girl?"

It took Karumi a moment to realise she was being addressed, and she quickly lifted her head. "I - um," she stammered awkwardly. "I made a promise to someone, and that promise brought me here."

Her cheeks felt warm as she internally kicked herself for giving such a vague answer. She should have thought her introduction through more carefully before they'd arrived, but she'd been understandably distracted.

"What sort of promise?" the woman pushed, making Karumi flush deeper. It wasn't as though she was embarrassed, but Itachi had warned her how dangerous these people were. If she screwed up now, who knows what would happen to her.

Karumi gently tilted her head, gesturing toward Itachi. "To look after him."

"Itachi Uchiha is a highly ranked, highly skilled ninja," the Uchiha man muttered. "He doesn't need your help."

"Even so..." Karumi murmured, trailing off. She wasn't about to go back on her word now.

"So your allegiance is with him," the dead-voiced man murmured, making Karumi freeze. "Not with our cause."

Karumi swallowed heavily and shook her head. "At this moment, I'm not even sure what your cause is," she said honestly. "But it was the rule in my clan that we helped those who needed it, regardless of anything. I plan to uphold that notion. If you need me to help, I will gladly help."

Silence filled the room, before a whisper so faint that even Karumi could barely hear it snaked through the air.

"Madara and I will speak with the boy," the dead-voiced man spoke. "Konan will take the girl."

It was as though the whole room turned cold as an uneasy chill clung to Karumi's body, and she winced as a strong hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her away from Itachi.

Karumi stumbled a little, but followed quietly, focusing all her energy on trying not to trip over her own feet as she was dragged away from the rest of the group.

"Madara told us you were blind," the woman, who Karumi assumed was named Konan, muttered. "Yet it sounds like your talents in medicine excel far beyond that of the average ninja."

"I can see people through touch," Karumi murmured quietly. "That's all someone like me needs."

The two women fell quiet, their footsteps echoing as they walked. "We'll see," Konan breathed, her grip on Karumi's wrist growing tighter. "Mind the stairs."

Karumi swallowed and nervously stuck her foot out, feeling for the step in front of her before starting her ascent, listening as Konan slowly followed behind her.

"Where are we going?" Karumi asked, trying to hide the nervousness that threatened to show through her voice. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know what she was doing. As far as Karumi was concerned, Itachi was the one they wanted in their organisation; not her.

Konan was silent for a moment, the sound of their walking filling the room. "I want you to see a friend of mine," she murmured quietly. "He was injured some time ago. If you're as good as Madara says you are, you should be able to do something."

Karumi swallowed dryly, staying quiet. She was confident in her abilities, yet she didn't know what would happen to her if she failed. Her heart thumped almost painfully as the fear-fueled adrenaline coursed through her veins, and Karumi found her movement slowing as her joints began to seize up.

She didn't know how many stairs she'd climbed before they reached the top, but Karumi's legs felt heavy as she paused, letting Konan take her by the arm again and knock on a door. "We're coming in, Nagato."

With that, she pushed the door open, pulling Karumi with her as she guided her into the room.

"Konan?" a soft voice, who Karumi assumed to be Nagato, croaked, making her stiffen. "Why did you bring her here?"

Another chill crept its way up Karumi's spine, much like it had with the other man. Their voices were completely different, but both men had the same unnerving monotone in their voice. If Karumi didn't know any better, she would have thought they were the same person.

"I thought she could help," Konan muttered, bringing Karumi forward. "At least let her take a look at you."

"I don't need her to help," Nagato sighed quietly.

Karumi took another step forward, her hand trembling slightly as she reached out. "I was told that your organisation has a cause," she said gently. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"The Akatsuki was originally formed to bring peace to this country," Konan's voice sounded from behind her. "The Rain Village was often caught in the crossfire between the Five Great Nations, and we wanted to put an end to the wars that were fought around us."

A small smile lifted the corners of Karumi's mouth and she nodded in understanding. Her family had had similar ideals. They didn't believe in taking sides, and they wanted the conflict to end. The Hanakawa village had been a peaceful place where 'enemy' ninja were treated the same as their allies.

"So you two founded the Akatsuki all by yourselves?" Karumi asked, dropping her hand and turning to face where she thought Konan was standing.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and Karumi suddenly felt as though she'd said something wrong.

"There were three of us, originally," Konan murmured, and Karumi felt her stomach sink.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't-"

"No," Nagato cut her off, making Karumi turn back to him. "The loss of the first leader was what cemented our new goal: for the world to experience a catastrophe so devastating that the other nations would never be able to even stomach the idea of more conflict."

Karumi's mouth felt dry as another prickly sensation ran down her arms. In a twisted way, she could understand where the man was coming from, but she knew now why Itachi had been asked to investigate them. Regardless of how she felt, she'd promised Itachi she would do her best to stay out of the way and be agreeable, so she nodded.

"My entire clan was slaughtered at the end of the Third Shinobi War," she told them earnestly. "Even though I'm thankful that I survived, I can't help but wonder how my life would have turned out if that war hadn't started in the first place."

She held her hand out to Nagato again.

"I understand how you feel, and I want to help you however I can," she said softly. "Because that's what I was taught to do."

The man was quiet for a moment, before his hand gently brushed hers, and Karumi's mind was bombarded with an array of images as she tagged him with her chakra. She frowned as she pulled her hand back, putting the images together in her head.

"You said you can see through touch," Konan's voice sounded. "What do you see?"

"Low blood pressure," Karumi muttered, her mind flooding with even more images. "A fairly severe case of malnutrition, foreign objects embedded in various points the back, nerve damage to the legs, as well as scarred tissue from what seems to be third degree burns."

She paused, blinking a couple of times before tilting her head so that her ear was facing Konan, though her body still faced Nagato.

"Can you tell me how you injured your legs?" she asked.

Neither Konan nor Nagato said anything for a moment before the young man muttered quietly. "Paper bombs."

Karumi grimaced. That explained the burns that covered his shins and the nerve damage from the waist down, but the way the scars were formed made at seem as though several bombs had been in direct contact with his legs. "How long has it been since the initial injury?"

Again, the room was silent until Konan spoke up. "Almost seven years," she mumbled.

The young girl pursed her lips. The injury was old - too old for her to treat. If Karumi's calculations were correct, Nagato's legs would have been damaged before she'd even lost her clan.

"I can't fix the nerve damage in your legs," she sighed. "Nor can I fix the scarring. What I can do is make you some tea to boost your immune system and some salve for the pain."

"No," Nagato said loudly, making her flinch. "I don't want anything to numb the pain. The pain is what drives me."

Karumi blinked, unsure of what to say. She could see that his body was in excruciating agony, but she didn't want to argue with him. Instead she nodded slowly. "I'm still making that tea for you, though," she insisted. "If your body can't fight off infections, it's not going to last long enough for you to reach your goals."

"Fine," the man muttered passively after a brief pause, and Karumi let out a breath of relief. She didn't expect to learn everything about Konan and Nagato, but she could tell that they'd already been through so much. The more time she spent with them, the more Karumi actually _wanted_ to help them, though it suddenly dawned on her that she might not have the chance to.

"I'm sorry I couldn't fix your legs," she said softly, lowering her head. She didn't know if her abilities were being tested, but if they were, she'd failed.

"I didn't expect you to," Nagato murmured, making Karumi's shoulders sink. "But I have something else in mind for your skills - if you think you can manage."

Karumi lifted her head, her eyes widening as she nodded enthusiastically. "Anything you need," she said, feeling a small smile tug at her lips. She felt as though she'd somehow managed to get the two leaders to open up to her, even if it was only a little.

Though, perhaps her promise to Itachi to lie low would be much more difficult to achieve than she'd originally thought.


	22. Part IV: Chapter 1

Karumi closed her eyes as the icy cold wind whipped against her face, taking a deep breath as she listened to the calming sound of the rain outside. There was a time when she found the air in the Rain Village difficult to breathe and the stuttering of the rain a distraction, but five years working for the Akatsuki had meant she'd grown accustomed to it.

Brushing her hand against the concrete wall, Karumi gently began to make her way around the room, reaching out as she neared her desk, which was still covered in pieces of paper and sprigs of foreign herbs from the past few days of work.

Her life since joining the organisation hadn't been much different from her time in the Leaf Village. She would study books left behind by one of the previous members with the help of a few genin to read for her, though it would be wrong to say that things were exactly the same.

Though Karumi had often lamented the fact that she couldn't officially practise her medical ninjutsu back in the Leaf Village, it seemed now that that was all she ever did - not that she was complaining. Almost as soon as she'd arrived in the Rain Village all those years ago, she'd been ordered by Nagato, who was known by the alias Pein, to stay behind while Itachi travelled on missions and tend to the villagers. Supposedly the idea was to gain the admiration and favour of the citizens of the village, though perhaps that had worked a little too well.

A sudden knock at the door jolted Karumi out of her daze, and she quickly fumbled around her desk. "Come in!" she called.

The door creaked open as Karumi reached for her vials of homemade medicine, and the voice of one of her assistants pierced through the air. "Lady Hanakawa!" the young boy cried, rushing forward. "Let me carry those for you!"

Karumi winced a little as the tinctures were taken from her hands. She didn't like the formality she was often addressed with, and she certainly didn't like being treated as though she couldn't do anything by herself. "Tetsuya," she muttered, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I've told you countless times not to call me that. Just 'Karumi' is fine."

The boy, barely three years younger than she was, laughed nervously. "I couldn't," he mumbled, the volume and position of his voice dipping as he assumably bowed. "Please, it's enough that I can't call you Lady Or-"

"Do not use the O word, please," Karumi cut him of sternly before a heavy sigh escaped her lips. "I hear enough of it every time we go out. At least let me carry the bag this time."

"But..." Tetsuya trailed off meekly, seeming to buckle under the pressure as Karumi narrowed her eyes, and finally handed her the satchel.

Karumi pursed her lips to keep herself from smiling triumphantly as she slung the bag's strap over her head, letting it rest on her shoulder, before gently placing her hand back down on the table and following it to the nearest wall, then to the door, then out into the hallway.

"My lady!" Tetsuya called, shuffling after her, making Karumi roll her eyes. "At least let me guide you!"

"We've been doing this for years," she sighed. "I know the way by now."

"Even so..." Tetsuya murmured, his voice becoming even whinier than usual, though Karumi only ignored him.

The permanently damp smell of the corridor had long since become a familiar scent to her, and Karumi took a deep, calming breath as she walked, her fingers softly grazing against the stony walls to guide herself. What had once been a maze of hallways was now a simple set of turns that Karumi had memorised: left, right, left, left, and suddenly the freezing rain and strong wind hit her face once again.

She took another deep breath, the cold air burning her nostrils, before shuffling toward the open air, coming to a stop as she felt her toes sink dangerously over the sudden edge of the building, threatening a thousand-foot drop to the hard ground below.

What possessed someone to design a building with a hall that led to such an end had always bothered Karumi, but this route was far quicker than the stairs. Taking a couple of steps back, Karumi gave herself a quick jogging start before springing off the ledge, her long robe fluttering around her as she fell for a moment before she landed with a loud clang on some sort of metal structure.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that!" Tetsuya cried, still paused at the edge of the building, his voice muffled by the wind.

"I'm going ahead!" Karumi called back, ignoring the boy and shuffling along the metal structure before hopping along to another one, landing on a rickety canopy and taking a few more carefully-timed steps before leaping onto what she had always assumed was a large pipe.

It had taken years for Karumi to memorise this route, and a small part of her worried about what would happen if one of her landing structures was removed without her knowing, but she preferred not to think about it. The village was a nightmare to travel through without taking at least a few shortcuts.

"My lady!" Tetsuya's voice huffed as he too landed on the pipe, panting as he awkwardly moved towards her. "You forgot your hat."

Karumi pursed her lips and lowered her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes again. As annoying as he was, Tetsuya was just doing his job. She knew that if anything happened to her, there'd be a world of trouble for him.

Still, Karumi didn't need a babysitter. She held her hand out silently, waiting until the straw hat touched her fingers before snatching it away from him, gingerly resting it on top of her already-soaked head before beginning to walk along the pipe.

Even though she never went on any missions, let alone left the Rain Village, Karumi was required to wear the Akatsuki uniform, but she loathed the hat. The bell that hung of the edge was distracting, and the long tassels always got in the way of her work. Surely, it was enough that she wore the cloak, right?

Tetsuya seemed pleased as he followed along behind her, his footsteps lighter than usual.

"Did you read those books I gave you?" Karumi asked as she lifted her hand, placing it on the rough concrete wall of the building which the pipe was connected to, using it a guidance as she rounded the corner.

"Uh - yes," Tetsuya stammered. "But I didn't really understand them."

Karumi didn't say anything. She'd been given the space occupied by one of the previous Akatsuki members after he'd abandoned the group, but had left behind most of his notes on human experimentation. Of course, Karumi had no use for them, but she figured she wasn't doing much harm if she let her assistants look at them.

The pair walked in silence for a while longer, before Tetsuya quietly cleared his throat. "Um, Lady Hanakawa?" he asked, his voice cracking with uncertainty.

"What is it?" Karumi huffed, expecting him to point out something else she'd forgotten.

"I was wondering if - uh - if I could try doing some proper medical ninjutsu today?"

Karumi paused, blinking a couple of times. "What you do _is_ proper medical ninjutsu," she murmured, continuing to move again.

"On fish..." the boy muttered under his breath, making Karumi clench her fist.

"Look, Tetsuya," she sighed, her body growing warm as she tried to suppress the anger that threatened to show through in her voice. "You're learning medical ninjutsu the exact same way I did, and until you can channel your chakra through something without blowing it up, you are not to lay a _finger_ on and actual human being. Do I make myself clear?"

The boy squeaked, managing a quick 'yes m'lady', before falling silent again.

Despite how much she hated his whining, Tetsuya was the only one of her assistants Karumi had taken on as a protege, though it had been difficult to teach someone who didn't share the same abilities as she did. Then again, at least he didn't need someone else to read for him.

Reaching the end of the large pipe, Karumi slowly hopped off the edge, landing gracefully on the flat, cemented ground. Most of the lower sections of the Rain VIllage had long since been flooded with water, though, thankfully, the area was still somewhat accessible.

Karumi gently placed her hand on the wall of another building, following it as it led her down a small flight of steps, taking her further down into the depths of the village. The smell of burning litter and unidentifiable chemicals had Karumi covering her face with the sleeve of her cloak. Even though she'd managed to get used to the smoggy stench in the air, the village's slums were a whole other matter.

Every few days she was sent down here by Nagato - or 'Pain' as he preferred to be known - to check on the residents of the village, with the notion that not only would their injuries or illnesses be cured, but their belief in him as their saviour would be strengthened. Karumi didn't get it, personally, but she'd agreed to the job. It was what she'd always wanted to do, after all: help those who needed her help.

"Tetsuya," Karumi muttered, readying herself. "Go ahead and call everyone out."

"Right," the boy said quickly, his footsteps tapping against the ground as he jogged on ahead.

Karumi continued to move slowly along the pathway, listening as the sound of the rain was suddenly drowned out by crowds of people beginning to approach her.

"Lady Oracle!" one of the familiar voices cried. "My daughter has another fever! Can you help?"

"Lady Oracle!" another called. "My wife is pregnant again!'

As the crowd continued to surround her, Karumi forced herself to smile politely. While she hated the nickname, she wasn't about to tell them to stop. According to these people, Pain, an incredibly powerful ninja, was like their God; Konan, who brought the citizens messages directly from him, was their angel; and Karumi, who was exactly like them, albeit with connections with the two, was their oracle. Though she understood their thinking, she had quickly grown tired of hearing the word.

"Tetsuya," Karumi called out, lifting the satchel from her shoulder and holding it out. "Start distributing these. I'm going to do the rounds."

"Understood," the boy said, already sounding flustered by the amount of people that had arrived to greet them, and quickly took the bag from her.

Karumi began to slowly move through the crowd, her patrons standing back to let her through. Everyone was already aware of her disability, but her help was needed, and no one dared to stand up against someone who so frequently had contact with their leader.

Today, it was quiet. There weren't nearly as many patients as usual - most people had come to claim their medications before heading back home. Karumi went about her business like she would any other day, spending hours in and out of people's houses, tending to work-related injuries and treating minor illnesses. The Rain Village didn't have a hospital like the Leaf did, let alone enough highly-trained medical ninja. For most of these villagers, Karumi was the only access to medicine they had.

As Karumi moved toward the last house of her rounds, the sound of pattering footsteps running towards her made her pause.

"Lady Oracle!" the familiar voice of a small child called out. "Granny collapsed again yesterday!"

Her eyes widening, Karumi quickened her pace, following the little girl down the pathway that led to her final house, forcing herself to stay composed. She'd been seeing this family ever since she'd began her medicinal work, just days after she'd entered the village. She'd treated the mother's pneumonia; she'd amputated the father's leg after a brutal battle with another village's ninja; she'd even delivered the child she was now following. More recently, the family's matriarch had been growing ill with age, and while Karumi had ordered strict bedrest, it didn't seem as though that would be happening.

"I told everyone to stop fussing! I'm fine!" a raspy voice sounded as Karumi reached the house's entrance. "Oh, if it isn't little Karumi!"

She paused.

"You're a lot taller than I remember..."

The young woman smiled as she removed her hat, placing it by the doorway as she rested her hand on the wall and slowly made her way toward the table in the centre of the main room, kneeling and taking a seat on one of the small cushions. "I'm the same size as I was last Tuesday, Mrs Kozaki," she said softly.

The old lady grunted. "I can't remember that far back," she muttered stubbornly. "And show some more respect to your elders. A twelve-year-old like you shouldn't be talking like that."

"I'm seventeen, Mrs Kozaki," Karumi murmured, still smiling pleasantly.

A moment of silence passed before the old woman spoke again. "Bull."

"Ma!" the masculine voice of her son cried, horrified by the way she was speaking. "You can't say that to her!"

"It's fine," Karumi said with a soft wave of her hand, tilting her head toward where she believed the man was sitting. "How's your leg?" she asked.

"Only a little painful," the man said. "That boy you bring with you gave me some of that salve you make. It really helps."

Karumi's smile lifted a little further. "I'll be sure to make some more," she said, bowing her head gratefully before turning back to the older woman and holding her hand out, waiting until their fingers touched before closing her eyes. "May I ask what you were doing when you collapsed, Mrs Kozaki?"

"I didn't _collapse_ ," the woman muttered. "I just felt a bit dizzy and had to sit down."

"Hinae found her on the kitchen floor," her son spoke up, referring to his young daughter. "We assumed she was trying to make food."

Mrs Kozaki grunted again. "Better than being stuck in that lousy bed all day," she muttered darkly.

Karumi nodded slowly, pulling her hand away. "I can't do much about the boredom," she admitted. "But your body needs rest. I can make up some food pills for vitality, but they should only be taken if you're going to strain yourself, okay?"

Silence filled the room and Karumi felt herself sigh, nodding once again before pushing herself up off the floor.

"I'll be back in a couple of days with that medicine," she murmured, slowly making her way to the door and picking up her hat. "Make sure to rest."

With that, Karumi turned to bow politely to the family before placing her hat back on her head, moving through the doorway.

"Wait!" the small voice of the little girl who'd led her to the house called out to her, making Karumi stop. "We have something for you!"

"Hinae," Karumi said softly, unable to help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "You know I don't take payment from the villagers."

"It's not money, it's a gift!" the girl corrected her. "I made it for you!"

Karumi pursed her lips. She didn't want to take anything from people who already had so little, but she supposed it wouldn't hurt if it was something a child had made for her. Nodding, Karumi held her hands out tilting her head curiously as something vaguely metallic was placed in her palms.

She gently ran her fingers across the object, feeling the small metal rings which were held together by a long piece of cord, though she still couldn't quite tell what exactly she was holding.

"It's a necklace," Hinae clarified before Karumi even had the chance to ask, and the young woman's smile widened.

"Thank you," she murmured, bowing her head as she gripped the necklace, holding it against her chest as she turned to leave. "I'll be back in a few days."

With that, Karumi slowly began to make her way back through the village's slums, still running her fingers along the rings of the necklace. She'd never been the sort of person to wear jewelry - she didn't even wear the rings that all the other Akatsuki members did - but she didn't want to throw the gift away.

She could keep it as an ornament, she thought, but Karumi didn't want to create any clutter that could confuse the already immaculate placements of her other possessions. Besides, it wasn't as though Karumi could appreciate decorations. Perhaps she could give it to someone else instead.

The sudden thought of Itachi crossed her mind, and Karumi lifted her head. She hadn't heard from him in months, but she'd been assured by Nagato and Konan that he and the others would be returning to the Rain Village in a few days with a new group member.

She'd decided. With a firm nod of her head, Karumi pocketed the necklace, continuing on her path back to her research study. She would give the necklace to Itachi when he returned, and hope that the new member wouldn't be as much of a handful as the others were.


	23. Part IV: Chapter 2

Karumi tapped her fingers anxiously on the wood of her desk, trying to listen to the faint noises of Tetsuya working behind her over the commotion sounding from down the hallway. By Nagato's order, all new members had to be brought to her for a physical examination before heading out on missions, and Karumi felt she needed to ready herself.

She'd never had any issues with performing the examinations per se, but rather with the sorts of people she was examining in the first place. Somehow, the Akatsuki had the habit of recruiting incredibly abnormal people, and Karumi had often found herself quietly panicking whenever she 'looked' at them.

Though, comfortingly, Karumi had probably already experienced the worst. This new person most likely didn't have five hearts or a body made entirely of puppet parts, and if they did, Karumi had seen it before.

She took a deep breath, telling herself to remain calm as the voices outside grew louder, though jumped a little as a knock sounded at the door.

"Tetsuya," she called, pushing herself up. "Let them in."

"R-right," the boy stammered, his footsteps tapping against the hard floor as he quickly moved across the room, before the creaking sound of the heavy door being opened screeched through the air.

"Ugh, I don't know why we have to keep coming to this place," a rough voice complained as a group of what sounded like three people shuffled into the room and the door was closed behind them.

Karumi clenched her jaw, wishing she had the authority to forbid Itachi's partner from coming within a mile of wherever she was at any given time. "You don't have to be here," she huffed, folding her arms in front of her chest. "What, have you injured yourself or something? Do you need a plaster? I have some medical tape I can spare, but you'll need to get me some more."

"Careful, kid," the man threatened. "If it weren't for Itachi, I would have cut you to ribbons years ago."

"Kisame," Itachi's familiar voice interrupted, and Karumi felt herself relax almost immediately. "Perhaps you should go and look for some accommodation. We leave for our next mission tomorrow."

The older man growled, taking a few steps back. "Watch out, newbie," he muttered under his breath as he turned to leave. "That witch isn't someone you can trust."

Karumi forced herself to hold back her smug grin as she listened as Kisame stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind himself, before turning to face where she assumed the other two were standing and offering them a polite smile. "So, what can I do for you?"

"This is Deidara," Itachi spoke quietly. "He needs a file and Kisame and I need more food pills."

Nodding slowly to herself, Karumi slowly made her way to the examination table that had been placed in the middle of the room. "Check-up first," she murmured to herself, tilting her head towards the source of Itachi's voice. "Are you okay to wait?"

"Sure."

Karumi nodded again and tapped the table's surface. "Sit up here - Deidara, was it?" she ordered, moving across the room to wash her hands. "Tetsuya, take notes."

"Yes m'lady," the boy squeaked, and the rustling sound of paper filled the air as Karumi dried her hands and made her way back to the examination table.

"So, Deidara," Karumi murmured. "Do you have a last name that goes with that?"

An awkward silence weighed on the group, before the man answered with a tired sounding 'no'.

"And I heard the mission was to the Hidden Stone Village," Karumi continued without missing a beat, listening to the sound of a scratching pen as Tetsuya began to write. "Is that where you're from?"

"Yeah," Deidara grunted.

Karumi nodded again, waiting until the scrawling noises were finished before continuing. "If you could just extend your arm out towards me," she murmured, feeling for his forearm and gently rolling his sleeve up until most of his arm was exposed before placing her fingertips in the crook of his elbow. "And relax again."

Deidara dropped his arm again, and Karumi focused as a flurry of images entered her mind.

"Ready when you are, Lady Hanakawa," Tetsuya spoke as his collection of paper rustled again.

Scowling at the name, Karumi shook her head and took a deep breath, ignoring any distraction around her. "Resting heart rate is at fifty eight beats per minute," she began to list. "Blood pressure is normal, temperature is normal..."

She trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing as she moved her finger to the man's wrist.

"Wait a second," Karumi murmured. "Is that a _mouth_ on your hand?"

"Yeah," Deidara grunted again, though, this time, Karumi could hear the obvious smirk in his voice.

Curious, Karumi gripped his wrist tightly with one hand and placed her fingers against his hand with the other, , trying to make sense of what she was 'seeing', her eyes widening in awe. "Tetsuya," she spoke. "Make a note: the carpal bones that _should_ be here seem like they've merged together to resemble a mandible bone."

"What does that mean?" the man on the table asked, wincing a little as Karumi squeezed his hand.

"It means you have a lower jaw for a wrist," she clarified absently, more interested in the anatomical nightmare that was Deidara's hand-mouth. "We've got some extra bone growth from the top of the second to fifth metacarpal bones that somewhat resemble a maxilla bone."

She tilted her head to the side, turning somewhat to face Deidara.

"That means you've got an upper jaw growing out of your knuckles," she whispered, turning her attention back to his hand. "It also means your hand's going to have a permanent overbite, and before you ask, no; I can't fix it."

She squeezed his palm again, watching through her mind's eye as something squirmed within Deidara's hand, and a warm, slimy sensation ran along her thumb. The hair on the back of Karumi's neck stood on end as a disgusted shudder ran down her spine, though she forced herself to push off any urge to back away, instead pinching the bit of flesh between her fingertips, making Deidara flinch.

"And it's got a tongue," Karumi continued, pursing her lips as the muscle writhed in her grip. "Rather, there's an excess portion of connective tissue that _acts_ like a tongue. I'm not seeing any taste buds or tongue web - nor is there any oesophagus that runs up the arm - and what should be a saliva gland is just a sweat gland."

"Sweat?" Deidara repeated. "Are you sure it's not saliva?"

Now it was Karumi's turn to smirk. "Positive," she nodded, letting go of the fleshy appendage. "Your hand-mouth uses sweat for lubrication. You just can't taste it, because that's not a real tongue."

Itachi watched on from his place by the doorway, amused, as Deidara looked down at his own hand, somewhat disturbed. He'd been worried at what Karumi would have to say about the blond's unique malformation, knowing full well how upset she could become by unexpected physical traits; but Itachi was proud of her. Unlike the other times she'd had to see to the Akatsuki members, Karumi didn't seem nearly as horrified by Deidara.

"Moving on," the young woman continued, moving her hand up to press the side of Deidara's neck. "Heart and lungs are strong; no brain abnormalities; mild hearing loss - do you deal with a lot of loud noises?"

Folding his arms in front of his chest, Itachi felt another swell of pride in his chest at how spot-on Karumi was, though the feeling dissipated as Deidara began to describe the artistic nature of his bombs - something which Itachi had been hearing for days on the journey from the Land of Earth back to the Hidden Rain Village. He knew that Karumi couldn't care less about 'explosive art' even without the obviously unimpressed expression on her face.

"Could you lift your shirt, please?" she asked, completely ignoring Deidara's babbling, and placed her palm against his bare stomach, once again listing what she sensed. "Internal organs are all fine; same with the ribs and surrounding tissue; there's some superficial bruising around the torso, but that'll heal in a couple of days. Other than that, it looks like you're good to go."

She nodded to herself, taking a step back and brushing her hands against the fabric of her cloak as she began to make her way over to where her timid assistant stood, but was stopped when Deidara grabbed roughly her by the arm and tugged her back toward him.

"You're awfully handsy, aren't you?" he muttered playfully, the tongue-like appendage of his hand running across her arm. "How about you and I get out of here and I'll _show_ you how explosive my art can be, hm?"

He chuckled as Itachi stepped forward, ready to remove Deidara by force, though the Uchiha paused when Karumi held her free hand up, signalling to him that she could handle herself. She tilted her head in his direction, offering him a small smile before turning back to the blond.

"I wouldn't be so casual with me if I were you," Karumi warned, her smile falling as she placed her fingertips against Deidara's torso once again and lowered her voice to an almost menacing tone. "I'll say this now: one well-aimed poke from me and you can say 'goodbye' to your functioning liver."

Deidara's face paled in surprise as he loosened his grip on her arm, and Karumi lifted her chin as she took another step away from him.

"Tetsuya," she murmured coldly. "Could you please show this man out?"

"Right away," the boy said quickly, placing his work on a nearby counter before quickly beginning to usher to blond out, leaving Itachi and Karumi alone together.

She turned to face him, offering a tired yet somewhat relieved smile. "Let's go get those food pills," she breathed, holding her arm out and letting Itachi take it, feeling for the closest wall with her other hand before leading him out of the examination room.

Itachi, glanced down at Karumi, another proud feeling swelling in his chest. It wasn't often that she threatened the other Akatsuki members - or anyone, for that matter - but the fact that she still had that edge to her meant that Itachi could relax. When he'd first brought Karumi with him to the Hidden Rain Village, Itachi hadn't expected to be separated from her for so long. He'd been secretly worried to leave her alone, but her exchange with Deidara was proof that solidified his belief that he didn't have to worry anymore.

Though, the sudden clenching grip of Karumi's hand on his arm had Itachi second-guessing himself, and he quickly looked down at her again, his brow furrowing in concern as he watched her lift a trembling hand and gingerly cover her face with it, her shoulders shaking as her breathing seemed to grow erratic.

"Itachi?" she mumbled, her voice cracking in a way that almost sounded as though she was about to cry. "Why - no - _how_ does that man have mouths on his hands?"

Itachi's expression faltered for a moment a wave of confusion washing over him.

"I mean," Karumi continued, her tone seemingly growing more hysterical with every word. "Did he always have hand-mouths? Or did he do it to himself? Was it an accident? How does something like that even happen?"

Staying silent, Itachi gently placed his hand on top of her head feeling the girl's grip on his arm relax almost instantaneously. "I don't think it's something you need to worry about," he murmured softly as they reached the next room, pushing the door open and letting Karumi enter before him. "If you obsess over it too much, it will be 'Kisame's gills' all over again."

Karumi smiled drily and nodded, making her way over to the counter attached to the far wall, taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're right," she sighed, placing her hands flat against the wooden surface. "How does he have _gills_? He said he's always had them, so did his mother just give birth to him and think 'oh, he's got gills - that's totally _normal_ '?"

Itachi couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his features as he too made his way toward the counter, this time placing his hands lightly on her shoulders. "Just don't think about it," he advised quietly. "It makes work a lot easier."

Another small sigh escaped Karumi's lips as she nodded slowly to herself, before she quickly shook her head, as though shedding the urge to pore over the physical abnormalities of her fellow Akatsuki members. "Now, where did I put those food pills?" she mumbled to herself, her hands feeling for the drawers and cabinets built into the counter.

Itachi took a step back, letting her work, his eyes scanning the room. Since he'd last been here, Karumi had converted the second room into an apothecary, with shelves filled with perfectly aligned jars and pots containing all sorts of herbs, spices and other unidentifiable ingredients. Several mortars and pestles were neatly lined up on the counter Karumi was currently exploring, all of them completely sterilised, and several pieces of paper detailing specific recipes and instructions covered almost every inch of the room's walls - though Itachi doubted they were for Karumi.

"Here they are," Karumi chirped, producing two separate bags of mustard-coloured pellets and holding them out for Itachi to take. "The big ones are for Kisame, and the smaller ones are for you. _Please_ don't mix them up. The big ones will up the user's chakra level so much that it could kill the average person."

A huge cat-like grin spread across her face.

"Besides," she said lightly. "I purposely make sure that Kisame's taste like a mixture of dirt and vinegar."

Itachi nodded slowly, only now realising why Kisame hated taking the food pills Karumi gave him - and why Kisame always referred to her as a witch. Pocketing the two bags, Itachi made a mental note to never get on Karumi's bad side, lest he lose the sweet flavour of ginger and dried berries of his own food pills.

"I also have this for you," Karumi added, pulling a small box out from a different drawer. "It was given to me by one of the families I treat, but I'm not much of a jewelry person, so I thought you would like it."

Carefully taking the box, Itachi turned it in his hands, inspecting the small object before opening it. A small silver necklace sat inside, simple in design, yet surprisingly well made. Mumbling a small 'thank you', Itachi gingerly plucked the necklace out of the box, staring at it as the shiny metal seemed to glint in the artificial light of the room, before he swiftly clipped it around his neck.

"I wasn't sure if you'd like it," the young woman chuckled sheepishly. "Because - well - I don't know what it looks like. But Tetsuya assured me that it was something that could be worn by anyone."

Itachi smiled softly and nodded, well aware that Karumi couldn't see him doing so. "It's nice," he said, and a glowing smile lifted the corner's of Karumi's lips. "I'll keep it on." With that, he placed the now empty box back on the counter, positive that he wouldn't be removing the necklace. If Itachi said he'd keep the piece of jewelry on, he was keeping it on.

"So," Karumi piped happily after a few moments of silence. "Where's your next mission? Are you coming back here afterwards?"

More silence filled the room as Itachi pursed his lips. "Kisame and I are heading to the Hidden Leaf," he murmured, making Karumi stiffen awkwardly. "To retrieve the nine-tails jinchuriki."

Karumi gulped. "You're heading back to the Leaf Village?" she repeated, her eyes widening and her brow creasing with worry. "What if...what if Sasuke's there?"

Itachi paused. "It's likely," he admitted. "According to our intel, Sasuke's on a genin team with the jinchuriki."

The young woman's concerned expression slowly smoothed into a warm smile. "So he's a genin now, huh?" she murmured quietly to herself, and Itachi felt a pang of guilt hit him square in the gut.

There were times when he regretted bringing Karumi with him rather than leave her with his younger brother. It was clear to him that she still cared for Sasuke; but regardless of whether or not Itachi had taken her with him in the first place, Karumi had made it abundantly clear over the years that she would have followed him anyway - even if she'd died trying.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation somewhere a little more private," Karumi muttered suddenly, well aware that they weren't alone, and gently touched her fingertips to the side of the Uchiha's face.

Itachi knew exactly what she meant. Closing his eyes, Itachi quickly activated his Sharingan, placing Karumi in a genjutsu and opening his eyes once again just in time to catch her as she fell forward.

XXXXXXX

Karumi's eyes fluttered open to reveal the sight of a very familiar meadow, illuminated by moonlight, it's long grass swaying in the warm summery breeze as brightly glowing fireflies danced across the field. She'd never actually been to this place before - she wasn't even sure if it was real - but, to Karumi, this meadow was her safe place, even if it only existed in her mind.

"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" a young voice asked, and Karumi turned to see Itachi, looking exactly the same as he did when he'd first brought her to this place, before they'd even left the village.

"You didn't answer my question," Karumi murmured, her own voice also sounding much younger. "What will you do if - no, when - you see Sasuke?"

"I promised him a fight," Itachi answered softly. "If he's strong enough, I'll give it to him."

"And if he isn't?" Karumi pressed.

Itachi shrugged. "Then I suppose I'll just continue with the mission."

Karumi watched the boy carefully as he tucked a lock of long dark hair behind his ear, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You don't normally go anywhere near the Hidden Leaf," she muttered accusingly. "Something's happened, hasn't it? Otherwise N- _Pain_ \- would just send someone else."

Pausing for a moment before heaving a defeated sigh, Itachi closed his eyes and nodded. "I requested the mission," he admitted, turning his head to look Karumi straight in the eye. "The Third Hokage has been murdered."

Karumi's breath hitched in the back of her throat, her eyes widening. "B-but," she spluttered. "That means..."

"Yeah," Itachi murmured in confirmation. "He was the only one making sure Danzo wouldn't go back on our deal. Now that he's gone, I need to remind Danzo that my words still stand."

Taking a deep breath, Karumi pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a heavy sigh as she glanced up at Itachi's face. "I'm worried," she said truthfully. "Of all the villages that want you dead, the Hidden Leaf's hatred for you is the strongest. They won't let you get away if you gain their attention."

Itachi nodded slowly. "I know," he breathed, taking a step forward and lifting his hand to gently poke her forehead. "Kisame and I don't plan to barge in through the front gates and draw attention to ourselves. Either way, if it makes you feel better, I'll be careful."

Returning his nod, Karumi offered him a relieved smile. "That does make me feel better," she told him, touching her fingertips to the spot where he'd touched her, her smile stretching into an optimistic grin.

Karumi gently held her hands out, closing the gap between them and wrapping her arms around Itachi's waist, turning her head to the side to lean her cheek against his chest.

"Come back as soon as you finish, okay?" she mumbled.

"I will," Itachi promised, cupping the back of her head with his hand and resting his chin on top of her head.

Karumi watched the scenery around them, her beaming smile falling as the light of the fireflies began to grow dim, and darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision. The meadow's colours faded to grey, then to black, and the sensation of the tall grass tickling her legs soon dulled.

And, with that, the genjutsu was released.


End file.
